


More Than Enough

by mysteriousphoenix



Series: More Than Enough [3]
Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Buntalski, Canon Compliant, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, I Mean the Slowest of Burns, Magical Battles, Post-Movie 2: Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Slow Burn, They Have to Earn It, newtina
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2020-11-23 21:07:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 43,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20896112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mysteriousphoenix/pseuds/mysteriousphoenix
Summary: Our story picks up as soon as the credits rolled. What happened after the fire in Paris? Newt and Tina struggle to support their new-found family while also learning how to be together. Of course, things get in the way. This is a story of love, hurt, and fighting for what is right.





	1. Bittersweet Defeat

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! My new multi-chapter (maybe multi-fic verse?) is here! I am so excited about this one. I have it planned through chapter 13 right now with more to go. I also have lots of ideas for one-shots and a parallel fic at some point. We'll see how far I get!
> 
> I will be the first to admit to you that I am a slow writer. I will get it done, but it might take me a bit. I have a husband, kid, house, and a full-time job, so I get about an hour a day to myself. This story has been brewing for MONTHS though, and I am determined to see it through. Be patient and ye shall be rewarded...
> 
> Thank you to [@hidetheteaspoons ](https://hidetheteaspoons.tumblr.com/) for her marvelous betaing! <3

Chapter 1: Bittersweet Defeat

“And the bittersweet of every new defeat is I’m stronger than before.”

-Birdy (Silhouette)

\----------------------------------

“What is that?” Theseus leaned down to examine the small trinket in Newt’s soot-darkened hand. The shiny object was ordained with filigree and was barely the size of Newt’s palm, but it pulsed with an intense magic that radiated out from the object like a beacon. The Niffler, still resting within the inner pocket of Newt’s grey overcoat, began climbing Newt’s waistcoat in an attempt to re-pocket his treasure.

Newt gently handed the object to his brother who weighed it in his hand. “You pulled this from the Niffler’s pouch? What is it?” Theseus asked once more. 

“I- I don’t know,” Newt replied as he gently returned his pet into his pocket. He reached out to take the pendant again, turning it over between his fingers. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“I have,” stated a hoarse voice to the left of where Newt was standing, causing him to jump slightly. He glanced up through his fringe as Tina walked slowly towards the brothers, a dazed and red-eyed Jacob following closely behind. Her face was set in a neutral, slightly stony expression and she remained in full Auror mode, determined not to let her emotions show too heavily. “I got to see one in my Auror training a few years ago, just after I began the program.” She cleared her throat and lowered her eyes. “They confiscated it during an arrest and passed it around during a department meeting.” Tina stared at the object in Newt’s open palm. “They—they’re very rare, and no two look alike. They all have a similar core, though.” Tina moved closer to Newt, reaching out to touch the swirling core of the pendant with her fingertip. “May I?”

“Of course.” He tipped the object into Tina’s hand and she peered closely at it, carefully turning it over in her palm. Her brow creased in concentration.

“Right. But what _is_ it?” Theseus asked again, his frustration and the resulting emotions of the past hour causing his voice to sound strained.

“It’s a blood pact.”

“_Bloody hell,_” Theseus exclaimed in a whisper, eyes wide in sobered surprise. He cleared his throat as he looked up at Tina’s face for the first time. “You’re sure?”

“I’m pretty sure. Um, as I said, no two look alike, but—here.” Theseus stepped closer to Tina, looking down at her palm as she drew her fingertip across the smooth surface of the pendant. “The core definitely looks like the one I saw in New York. See the red swirls in the center?” Tina allowed Theseus to examine the object, his brows knitted in concentration, before handing the pendant back to Newt. He placed it carefully in the breast pocket of his waistcoat after glancing over the object one more time with curious eyes. 

“Where did it come from?” Newt asked as he watched Theseus finally lower his stiff, exhausted body onto the stone wall behind him, the lines etched on his darkened face making him look older than his thirty-eight years.

“I- I think it’s…” Tina began. Newt looked up to her face, finally meeting her dark eyes for the first time since they parted before the rally. “Well-- It belongs to Grindelwald,” she stated in a hushed tone, her eyes not leaving his as a look of apprehensive surprise crossed his features. “I know he had one. They found it among his things in New York when they raided Mr. Graves’s apartment.” Tina looked down at her hands, one of which was covered in an angry, red burn. “That all happened before I was reinstated. I never heard many details.” Tina cleared her throat again before continuing, struggling to maintain her speaking voice through the damage of smoke inhalation. She craved water.

Theseus was watching her with an unreadable expression as Tina began speaking again. “I never saw it, but I know it was passed to Spielman when they made the prisoner transfer.” Tina glanced at Newt with trepidation before continuing. “Another Auror told me one night after I was reinstated.” Her eyes slid to the ground, her voice becoming softer, though whether it was from the smoke or embarrassment, Newt was not sure. “He wanted to make sure I was--caught up on everything…from when I was out of the department.”

“Oh. Er--right,” Newt frowned as he glanced down toward the pocket holding the pendant, his hand twitching as if he were about to reach for the spot where the blood pact now rested against his chest. “Well, that’s…” He began before a loud pop made them all jump. Tina drew her wand out of instinct and turned her body. She raised it, ready to attack as Jacob whirled around, his hand instinctively moving in front of his face.

Nicolas Flamel materialized before the small group, his white robes torn along the bottom seam and covered in a fine dusting of soot. Tina lowered her wand slowly, still on high alert, her body rigid and her face hardened. Flamel’s face was somber, but he attempted a smile that did not quite reach his eyes before he addressed them in his rolling, French accent. “It is time to go. I- I am bringing you all to my house to sleep, my wife is preparing rooms for you. Tomorrow, we will rendezvous with your Monsieur Travers at the French Ministry.”

“No.”

All heads turned to face Theseus who pushed himself to his feet. “No,” he said in a softer but equally determined voice, ”I’m not leaving. Not yet. I need to…” His voice cracked as he gestured with one hand to his left. Newt followed his brother’s gaze toward the path leading to the amphitheater in the center of the cemetery where moments before they had all narrowly escaped Grindelwald’s flames.

“Theseus…” Newt took a step toward his brother, concern etched across his face.

“Newt, I _have_ to. I have to know. I can’t leave here unless I…” Theseus’ voice trailed off as his eyes began to show the emotions he was struggling to hold in. “I have to,” he whispered one last time, looking more vulnerable than Newt had ever seen him before.

“I know. I know, I’ll—I’ll come with you,” Newt sighed as he turned toward Tina. “Tina, can you-“

“I’m coming too,” Tina stated as she took a step closer to the pair. 

Newt paused and looked at her determined expression before nodding once and turning back to Flamel. “We have to check on something before we leave. It shouldn’t take long,” Newt stated. “Um, where will you—is there a place we can meet you…after?”

“Do you know the-- the Place de la Concorde?” Flamel asked in his silky accent as he turned his head to watch the rest of the group. “It is near the River Seine and—“

“I know it,” Newt interrupted hesitantly. “I can get us there if you and Kama can apparate with the rest.” Newt turned to where Jacob was still standing near Tina. “Jacob, would you like to stay with us or go with Flamel?” Jacob looked up slowly. His eyes were glassy and the combination of fatigue, hunger, and waning adrenaline were affecting him greatly. It looked as if he was moments from falling to the ground.

“I think I’m done with this place, Newt. I--” Jacob looked torn, his eyes began to fill with tears as his exhaustion and emotions began to catch up to him.

“You’re okay, Jake,” Tina said as she slipped her wand into her sleeve and used her undamaged hand to wipe a tear from his cheek. He collapsed into her arms and began to sob, his forehead resting on the leather of her Auror’s coat. His shoulders shook as the stress of the past two days finally caught up with him. She rested her good hand on his upper back as she made quiet shushing sounds. Her eyes met Newt’s as she looked over Jacob’s shoulder and her expression seemed to soften, just for a moment. “You’re safe now. You’re safe. Shh, you’re okay.”

Jacob eventually calmed and seemed to come back to himself. He lifted his head from Tina’s shoulder, swiping at his cheeks to rid himself of the tear tracks that resided there. He sniffed and cleared his throat before finally looking back up at Newt, then to Tina, and back to Newt, not quite knowing where to rest his gaze. His eyes were puffy and bloodshot. “‘Sorry, sorry. I’m going to…er--”

“Why don’t you go with Flamel, Jacob. Go sit down, get something to eat.” Newt gave him as much of a smile as he could manage, “We will be along soon.”

“Alright. Okay.” He sighed deeply and his shoulders sagged under the weight of the day. “Be careful, alright?”

“We’ll be careful. Now, go get some rest.” Newt saw Jacob give a shallow nod of his head before turning toward Flamel and shuffling alongside him back to Yusuf and Nagini. Newt watched him go before he looked to his side where his brother, just as emotionally drained, stood waiting for him. He was struggling to maintain his stony Auror’s facade, but he was beginning to crack. Newt knew it was only a matter of time before his emotions would boil over, and he wanted to make sure he was not around a crowd of people when they did. He may not know his brother as well as he probably should, but he knew that Theseus’ pride would not withstand the public display of emotion that he was bound to have.

Newt briefly placed one hand gently on his brother’s back, urging him to start walking in the direction of the path back into the cemetery. As Theseus walked, Newt maintained pace with him and Tina fell in line next to Newt. Not a word was said as they walked for several minutes, the gravel crunching below their feet was the only sound in the eerie stillness. The path was illuminated by the nearly full moon and they did not bother lighting their wands.

The trio followed the twists and turns of the path, collapsing into a closer huddle as the tombs and vaults began to crowd the pathway. They were nearing the amphitheater and the stillness was haunting. Newt shivered, his skin covered in goosebumps as a brief breeze stirred up dust and the smell of fire and death. They continued forward, wands in hand and their senses on alert. Theseus led them through the main entrance, an elaborate stone archway that bore scorch marks and was stained with lines of ash. As they slowed to survey the entrance, the amphitheater stretched out before them, bathed in moonlight with the very beginnings of dawn beginning to stain the horizon a dull pinkish-grey. Newt looked around, surveying the area, but he could see no sign of anyone.

Tina interrupted his thoughts, making him jump. “There’s nobody here. There’s no way--” She trailed off before she said what they were all thinking. _There was no way anyone would have survived._

Theseus squared his shoulders and started walking down the stairs. His jaw was clenched and the look on his face hovered somewhere between determination and anger. Newt and Tina glanced at each other and followed him down the stairs, wands still in hand. As they neared the bottom of the stairs, Theseus paused briefly before setting foot on the bottom stair of the stage. Newt and Tina watched his shoulders rise and fall as he took a deep breath and ascended to the platform where Grindelwald had stood just hours before. Tina and Newt followed and stood next to Theseus as he turned in a slow circle, surveying the arena from this new vantage point. When his gaze found the place where Leta’s body had vanished, he closed his eyes and bit his lip in an effort to keep his emotions under control. Newt could see that it was quickly becoming a losing battle.

“Homenum revelio,” Theseus mumbled, his voice rough and thick. The end of his wand illuminated for a split second and the group glanced around them. There was nobody there. They were alone.

Theseus looked up at Newt, his eyes showing the deep pain and loss that he had been covering up since they had left the amphitheater. “She’s-- she has to be here. Newt...even if she’s gone, where is…” Theseus’ breathing began to speed up. The fingers of his left hand tangled into his hair as he began to lose the control he had clung to since he watched his fiance burn.

Tina cleared her throat to utter the spell that Newt and Theseus couldn’t bear to cast.

“Corpeus revelio.”

Nothing happened. There was nothing left of the men and women who had lost their lives that night. They had vanished. It was at this moment that the thread holding Theseus together snapped.

“_FUCK._ He didn’t even leave a fucking _body_ behind!” He sank into a crouch as he dropped his wand with a clatter and his hands tangled into his hair. His body convulsed with wet sobs as he struggled to breathe through his tears. Newt dropped his case where he was standing and rushed to his brother’s side. He crouched down and placed one arm around his back to comfort him as Theseus began to rock on his heels. He leaned into Newt and both brothers fell into a sitting position as Theseus lost all strength and cried on Newt’s shoulder for the second time that night. Newt tensed at the sudden invasion of his space. He took a deep breath as he forced himself to relax.

The pocket below where Theseus had rested his face began to move. Newt stuck two fingers into the pocket and swiftly retrieved the struggling bowtruckle that had been sleeping there. As Pickett emerged, he crawled onto the back of Newt’s hand which he slowly brought to rest on Theseus’ shoulder. Tina, watching the exchange with tears in her eyes, quickly strode over to Newt and carefully plucked the trembling bowtruckle off of Newt's hand. Newt nodded at her in thanks as he met her gaze. They continued looking at each other for several moments before Tina lowered her gaze and broke the connection. She walked away, cradling the creature in her hands, and sank slowly onto the top step of the stage. She glanced back at Newt and Theseus once more before turning away and finding her own release through quiet tears. She stroked the soft leaves on Pickett’s head in an attempt to calm him and began to cry for the sister that had vanished, the dozens of people who had lost their lives, and for all of those left behind to mourn.

As the early morning sun rose over the horizon, bathing the cemetery in a soft, golden glow, the trio rose to their feet and wiped away the last traces of their spent emotions. Newt reached out to grab Theseus’ hand and lifted one hand, palm up, toward Tina. She took two steps forward, curving her hand around his. She squeezed his hand lightly, signaling to him that she was ready. He took a deep breath and they vanished.

Seconds later, the small group landed with an audible pop on the edge of Concorde Place. They ambled toward their group of comrades, shuffling their feet as the last of their energy left their bodies. As they neared the fountain, Theseus took off for the opposite side of the structure without looking back. Newt was torn between following his brother and making sure the rest of his party was okay. Seeing his hesitation, Tina reclaimed his hand and squeezed. He finally rested his eyes on hers as she tried to smile at him. “Let him go. I--I think he needs some time alone. To let the Auror shield down for a bit...” She looked after Theseus knowingly as he pushed himself up onto the ledge of the fountain, leaning back against a stone statue of a mermaid. “It’s hard to let go when you are trained for years to hold everything in.” Newt glanced at his brother before meeting Tina’s gaze once more.

“Are _you_ alright, Tina?” Newt asked quietly as he ran his thumb over the back of her hand. She breathed in deeply before letting the air out of her lungs in an audible stream. Her shoulders seemed to relax slightly as her head rolled forward in defeat. She shook her head.

“No. I’m not,” Tina said in a gravelly whisper, “but I will be.”

“I’m so sorry, Tina,” Newt whispered, realizing just how close they were to each other. He continued softly rubbing his thumb over the soft skin on the back of her hand.

“I know. Me too, Newt.” Tina squeezed his hand once more before releasing it. He flexed his fingers, immediately missing the contact. Tina raised her head to look at him once more before glancing behind him toward the rest of their group. “C’mon. Let’s go.”

Newt and Tina walked toward the group of weary survivors, joining them as the air of the crisp September morning filled with birdsong and the smell of baking bread wafted across the square.


	2. Letting Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our friends arrive at the Place de la Concorde. Coffee, Nifflers, and awkwardness abound! My outline for chapter 2 did not have enough detail, and as I began to add detail, it got way too long. I split it, so here is the first half!
> 
> Thank you, once again, to [@hidetheteaspoons ](https://hidetheteaspoons.tumblr.com/) for her beta magic!
> 
> Check out the author's notes for a link to my linked Spotify playlist! It has songs that have inspired chapters, that I use (or will use) at the beginning of chapters, and songs that I like to listen to while writing! I'll keep adding to it as I go!

Chapter 2: Letting Go  
“Everything that's broke, leave it to the breeze. Why don't you be you and I'll be me.”  
-James Bay (Let It Go)  
\----------------------------------

The weather-beaten concrete of the fountain dug into Tina’s back, but she no longer cared. Her body ached, her heart ached, and her mind was in a fog. She was so hungry that the thought of food now made her nauseous and the burn on her hand was a continuous throbbing in the background of her thoughts.

Next to her, Jacob was slouched over, sitting cross-legged on the wet ground. He was using his coat as a blanket and had his eyes closed. She knew he wasn’t sleeping, his body was still too rigid for sleep, but he was slowly shutting down. He was deeply affected by Queenie’s departure with Grindelwald and Tina had a feeling that there was more to their story than she knew. They had been separated in Paris. She had not been able to hear what was said between them in the amphitheater, but Queenie’s face had said it all. There had been tension, anger, and hurt between them. Something had happened.

Tina surveyed her surroundings, unable to let her Auror instincts rest. The girl from the cemetery, Nagini she had recently learned, was standing silently next to Yusuf Kama with her arms crossed over her chest. Her dress was ragged and torn, and she looked terrified. Kama, who had lent his long, woolen overcoat to her, looked incredibly uncomfortable and out of place. He remained standing with a stony expression on his face and had not looked at anyone except Nagini since their arrival. Tina knew that he had helped tame the fire alongside her, but he had also tried to kill Credence just hours before. The man had held her hostage in a damp, stone sewer for two days. She understood why he was there with them, but she was happy to keep her distance for now. He was not her favorite person at the moment.

The sun was rising higher in the sky, it had to be at least 7:00 by now. Flamel had been gone for a half-hour, he had gone off in search of food for the group. Tina slowly lowered her aching body to the ground and leaned back against the cool basin of the fountain. She stretched her legs out in front of her and tightened the strap on her coat. The first notes of Fall were in the air, and with it, a dewey chill resonated around them. She tucked her hands into her pockets and absentmindedly fiddled with the items she found within. Her shrunken trunk full of her few possessions, her wand, a waxed chocolate wrapper from several days before, a few crinkled papers she had swiped from Kama’s underground hideout that she thought could be useful once she had escaped…

The sound of shuffling footsteps across the gravel of the nearby path made her heart skip a beat. The corners of her mouth raised in a smile as she looked up to see Newt make his way along the path to her left. She squinted into the sun and raised her hand to shield the glare as she watched him. He was balancing two thermoses and several porcelain mugs in his arms. She jumped up as quickly as her body would allow and jogged over to him, wordlessly taking the mugs from him so he could readjust his suitcase and carry the rest of his burden more comfortably. 

“Thank you,” he said quietly, his eyes meeting hers briefly before they continued down the path toward the rest of the group. Newt set the thermoses on the rim of the fountain and Tina placed the mugs down next to them. 

Newt loosened the lid of the first thermos as he turned to Tina and Jacob, who had risen to his feet when Newt returned. “I figured you all could do with a bit of coffee.” He poured a steady stream of black coffee into one of the mugs as he continued, “It can help with the chill while we wait.” 

Newt passed the first cup to Jacob who took it from him with a heartfelt thank you before leaning back against the fountain and taking a sip. He closed his eyes and sighed deeply as the familiar taste and aroma invaded his senses. Tina took the next two mugs and walked them over to Nagini and Kama, who each took their mugs with mumbled gratitude. As she returned, Newt was placing the lid back on the container. He lifted one of the mugs he had poured and held it out to her. She gripped it in her hand and lifted her other hand to steady the side with her fingertip. 

She took a long sip of the hot coffee before lowering her mug and looking around at the people who were starting to wander through the area, probably on their way to work. It was a Wednesday. It seemed so mundane, going off to work when such terrible things had happened just hours before. None of them knew, though. They were muggles. It was her job to make sure they didn’t know.

Newt narrowed his eyes as he looked at her hands before slowly lowering his own mug back to the ledge. He reached out and gently took her left hand into his own causing Tina to jump in surprise. Newt quickly snatched his hand back, his eyes wide and downcast. 

“I’m so sorry Tina, I--I didn’t mean--”

“Newt, it’s okay!” Tina assured him, setting her coffee down and taking a step closer to him, “You just scared me is all. I--I’m just not used to…” Tina couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence. 

_I’m just not used to people. I’ve been alone for months. I’m not used to being touched. I’m not used to being touched by you. I want to be touched by you._

“It’s just--” Newt interrupted her thoughts, “Your burn, you see. I think I could, um--I think I can help you. If you would let me, of course.” His cheeks were flushed with color and he had tensed his shoulders, undoing all of the silent progress they had made over the past few hours. Tina mentally cursed herself for being jumpy and ruining the situation before moving her hand forward into Newt’s line of vision.

“Yes,” she said, “I would like that. Thank you.” Newt looked up at her through his fringe as she smiled at him, letting him know that she was fine and no harm had been done. He paused before lifting his hand to hers. He carefully rested the back of her hand in his palm and lightly gripped the sides of her fingers. He waited a moment before his gaze left hers and traveled down to the angry, red welt on the palm of her hand. The burn covered most of her palm and the inside of her wrist. The redness snaked around one side of her hand and continued onto the backside. Newt, careful not to touch the tender area, examined it carefully before he looked back up at Tina.

“It doesn’t look too bad, but,” he looked down at the brown, leather case at his side, “We should probably get some ointment on there before it begins to blister.” Tina nodded in response, giving Newt permission to do whatever was necessary. He lightly released her hand before bending down to flip the latches on his case. Latches, Tina noted with amusement, that had not been replaced since the last time she had seen them in New York.

Newt summoned a brown jar with his wand before reaching his arm down as far as he could reach and emerging with several clean, white rags from the shelf below. He closed the lid with a click as he stood up to face Tina again. 

“May I?” Newt held out his hand once more and Tina placed her injured hand in his. She felt the rough skin of his work-worn fingers as he adjusted the angle of her hand in his and began to lightly spread the thick salve across her tender skin. The smell of eucalyptus and the undertone of something not quite as pleasant filled the air and the skin on her hand tingled. The redness immediately subsided and the throbbing in her hand began to recede. 

As Tina felt the pain leave her body, she sighed and began to visibly relax her shoulders. So much of the tension she had been feeling, she realized, was from the attempt to mask her pain. She closed her eyes as Newt continued to softly trail the medicine across her skin and around to the back of her hand. He grabbed a clean, white rag and wrapped it loosely around her hand before tucking in the ends, covering the burn to keep it clean.

“Does that feel alright? Newt asked, his voice low. He was still cradling her hand in his own. 

“_Much_ better,” she responded. “Thank you, Newt.” Tina flashed him a smile, her first genuine smile since they had left the cemetery. He grinned at her boyishly, color still flushing his cheeks as he lowered their hands. He reached back and handed her the cup of coffee she had been drinking before reaching down to open his case and put his supplies back inside. 

As soon as the locks clicked open, the Niffler jumped from inside and began running across the wet pavement. He limped as he ran, his nearly mended leg still slowing him down, and launched himself onto Jacob’s shoes before attempting to climb the leg of his trousers. Jacob, who had been watching most of the exchange between Newt and Tina, reached down to grab the shiny, black creature and cradled it to his chest. The Niffler immediately grabbed for his pocket watch and began attempting to stuff it into his pouch. Jacob didn’t seem to mind and began petting the creature absentmindedly as he leaned back against the ledge. The Niffler, with Jacob’s pocket watch successfully stuffed into his pouch, wiggled into the crook of his elbow and looked at Newt, daring him to come and retrieve him. 

“You alright there, Jacob?” Newt asked, nodding his head toward the creature in Jacob’s arms.

“Yeah, he’s fine here. I’ve got ‘im.” Jacob looked down to watch the Niffler burrow further into the crook of his elbow, attempting to make himself comfortable. 

As he looked up, Newt was still watching the exchange. He shook his head from side to side and smiled before whispering “_Pest_” under his breath. Newt heard Tina giggle softly as he crouched down and opened the case once more. He directed the supplies he had been using inside the case and into their rightful places with his wand, then flicked the latches closed and stood. As he turned to face the group once more, he caught sight of Flamel coming around the corner and entering the commons, a large, white paper bag at his side. 

Newt gestured toward their new comrade and looked between Jacob and Tina, both of whom had leaned back against a pillar of the fountain. “I’m going to go fetch my brother,” he stated as his eyes darted to the other side of the fountain where his brother sat, still leaned against the mermaid statue. “I’m sure he hasn’t eaten anything in hours and he won’t come over here without being forced.”

“Of course, yes,” Tina replied as she turned to look over her shoulder to glance at Theseus. She turned back toward Newt and smiled sympathetically at him. “Go. We’ll keep an eye on things here,” she reassured him, tapping his brown, leather case with the toe of her shoe.

Newt smiled and released a breath. “Thank you. I-- I’ll be back soon.” The corners of Tina’s mouth raised in encouragement and she gave him a slight nod before he turned and walked past Kama and Nagini toward his brother. 

Theseus was sitting on the ledge of the fountain with his legs crossed and his head bowed. He was absently running his fingers through the water at his side and icy tendrils, created by his wandless magic, followed his fingertips before floating away toward the middle of the fountain. As Newt neared his brother, he softly called his name. Theseus looked up with bloodshot eyes, almost as if he had been expecting him. He rolled his neck and looked ahead before speaking.

“I can’t wrap my head around all of this. I still feel like she will be waiting for me at home like she always is. I--I am waiting for things to hit me.” Theseus’s voice cracked and his eyes pooled with tears, “I know she’s gone. I _know_ it, but I--.”

“I--I know it’s going to be hard.” Newt felt his own neglected emotions start to surface as tears filled his eyes and a single tear tracked down his cheek. He wiped it away with the back of his hand. “She was pretty extraordinary.”

“I loved her. So much.”

“I know you did, Thes.” Newt pulled himself up onto the ledge in front of his brother and turned to look at him. As their eyes connected, Theseus let go and began to cry again. He lowered his head into his hands and rested his elbows on his knees. Tears dripped down his nose and cheeks, dotting the fabric of his trousers where they landed. Newt listened to his brother as he cried for his lost love and his stomach tightened as his grief began to take hold. His only childhood friend was gone. Incinerated for the greater good at the hands of a psychopath. He felt anger and sadness. Most of all, he felt guilt and regret for the past few months. He had been proud and stubborn, he knew that before they all ended up in Paris. He just didn’t know how to make things right or if that was even what he wanted. 

Leta had wanted to repair their friendship. She was to become his sister-in-law after all. She had told him in a letter back in January that they had too much good history to not try and repair the damage that had been done. How could they repair thirteen years’ worth of damage and loneliness? Where would they even start? He had never even responded to the letter. He was a stubborn man, and now it was too late.

She had been his best friend. His only friend. Now she was gone.

Newt felt another tear fall down his cheek, but this time he left it there. He looked at his brother in his peripheral vision. The brother who had loved Leta with all that he had. He deserved better than this; they _both_ did. Theseus and Leta deserved to be happy together and live a long life at each other’s sides...but it would never be. Grindelwald had taken that from them. 

Theseus’ tears had slowed and he began to take deep breaths to help calm himself. He hiccuped and cleared his throat before dipping his hand into the cold water of the fountain and rubbing the water over his face in an attempt to wash away some of the evidence of his tears. As his brother dried his face with an off-white handkerchief, Newt didn’t have the heart to tell him that no amount of washing his face would mask his grief. He turned his head to look across the fountain to check on Jacob and Tina. They were where he had left them, not yet holding whatever Flamel had brought back with him in his bag. He hoped they were not waiting for him, they both needed a good meal. He wasn’t sure the last time either of them had eaten.

Newt was jolted from his thoughts as Theseus spoke. “I was watching you over there with your friends. You’re sweet on her aren’t you?”

“I--what? I--,” Newt tore his gaze away from Tina and whipped his head toward Theseus. He stammered and tried to get past his shock and embarrassment at being called out. 

Theseus chuckled, a dark, hollow sound, and continued, ignoring his brother’s floundering. “You like her. I can tell.”

“What makes you think that?”

“Well, you haven’t stopped watching her since we arrived.” Theseus sized Newt up with tired eyes, “You ran through the French ministry with her, you checked on her _before_ fixing up your Niffler back in the cemetery, you are currently the color of a beet which only happens when you’ve been caught doing something, and, most telling, your case is currently sitting on the ground at _her_ feet...and not yours.”

“Huh, well…I--” Newt trailed off and looked at the ground. Was it that obvious to everyone else? He knew that Jacob knew and, most likely Tina herself at this point, but Theseus? He drew in a long breath before letting it out in a steady stream in an attempt to ease the anxious feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Newt heard the dark-sounding chuckle again as Theseus watched his younger brother. Newt looked confused and shocked. “I’m an Auror, brother,” Theseus stated, “observing is my job. You make it too easy.” There were several silent moments before either of them spoke again.

“She’s American,” Theseus observed. Newt looked up and his brother had raised an eyebrow, a look that meant he wanted more information.

“Yes.”

“Where did you meet her?” Theseus swung his feet over the side of the ledge, stretching them before hopping down. His face scrunched up in discomfort as the blood began to flow through his thighs again.

“I met her in New York,” Newt stated matter of factly. “We’ve been writing to each other ever since. I mean, kind of. It’s complicated, I guess.” Theseus looked surprised at this.

“You met her in December?! So you’ve known her the better part of a year, then.” Theseus paused before continuing, “Wait a minute, now. Is she the reason you wanted to travel back to New York?”

Newt shrugged one shoulder as he stared at the ground.

“All of those hearings… Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Would you have believed me if I had?” Newt locked eyes with his brother for a moment while Theseus considered what he had just said. Newt did not wait for a response. “Besides, it doesn’t matter now.” Newt hopped off the ledge and straightened his body before looking over to his friends once again.

Theseus watched his brother silently as he began to walk away. “Come on,” Newt said over his shoulder. “Flamel brought food. You should eat something.” Theseus followed, thoughts of grief, anger, and guilt racing through his mind as he walked.


	3. Broken Peace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Pere Lachaise survivors arrive at the Flamel home, grief and exhaustion taking over as they try to find rest in the aftermath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm baaaaack! After chugging away and publishing nine fics for various fandom weeks and gift exchanges, I'm back with another chapter of More Than Enough! Thank you for sticking with me. I'm so excited about what is coming up for our favorite couple and their friends.
> 
> As always, thank you to [@hidetheteaspoons ](https://hidetheteaspoons.tumblr.com/) for the beta work and encouragement. Another big thank you to [@oceanicflights ](https://newsalamandertina.tumblr.com/) for the help with the French. Merci beaucoup!

Chapter 3: Broken Peace  
“I don't need answers,  
I just need some peace.  
I just need someone who could help me get some sleep”  
-Ben Rector (When A Heart Breaks)  
\----------------------------------

The smell of something sweet wafted through the air as Newt and Theseus quietly walked to join the rest of the group. Flamel was handing croissants and pastries to Nagini and Kama and discussing something with them in rapid French, not yet having reached Tina and Jacob. Jacob remained leaning wearily against the side of the fountain with the Niffler still cradled at his elbow. Tina had turned away from the rest of the group and was standing with her arms crossed, her tired gaze resting on the people walking past on the sidewalk near the road. Her hair had lost some of its sharpness. The dampness of the air was allowing her natural waves to appear, making her features seem softer, more familiar. Newt was reminded of New York and smiled softly at the memories that flashed across the forefront of his mind, still crisp and vivid as the moment they were created. 

At the sound of the gravel crunching beneath their feet, Tina glanced over to Newt and Theseus, a small smile lifting the corners of her mouth as her eyes connected with Newt’s. His heart began to speed up a bit as he returned her smile. There had been something there, of course, but the admission to his brother had made it more real somehow. It was as if he was allowing himself to see the possibility of them clearly for the first time.

The appearance of the brothers caused the Niffler to stir and, though his dark eyes still drooped with sleep, he began sniffing the air as if something had been awakened in him. The small creature leaned forward in Jacob’s arms and Newt, who believed himself to be the intended target, stepped forward to receive him. It became clear almost immediately that it was not Newt that the creature was seeking. Suddenly, as his small head rose above the edge of Jacob’s arm, the Niffler saw Tina standing to the side of the group. He began squeaking and climbing, pushing himself toward her, though Jacob held on to his small body with both hands.

“Whoa there, little guy,” Jacob said as he held on tightly and began to gently pull his pocket watch from the Niffler’s pouch by the chain that was still attached to his waistcoat. 

Tina looked first at the Niffler, then at Newt with confusion. “Why does he suddenly want me?” she asked. Her brow was creased questioningly as she looked between Jacob and Newt for an answer.

“Because Newt used him to track you across Paris,” Jacob answered absently as he finally pulled his watch and chain from the pocket of the creature and set him up in his arms, attempting to calm him. “Yes, she’s right there. You found her. Good boy.”

Newt was now looking down at the gravel somewhere near Tina’s shoes and his cheeks had flushed with color. “You...you tracked _me_?” Tina looked at Newt who seemed unable to meet her gaze. “With your Niffler,” she added, a small, amused smile playing at the corner of her mouth.

“Oh, well he did this spinning gold dust tracking thing with his wand and we saw you, or... uh, where you had been...I think?” Tina raised an amused eyebrow at Jacob’s explanation before glancing at Newt once more. 

“You tracked me.” It wasn’t said accusingly, it was a statement. Tina spoke with realization and a touch of surprise.

“He didn’t tell you about that yet?” Jacob looked between them, noting Newt’s slight embarrassment. Jacob’s eyebrows raised and he decided to take the opportunity to push a bit. “If he didn’t tell you why he came to Paris, then what were the two a’yous talking about all that time while you were together?”

Newt quickly glanced up at Tina, their eyes connecting for a moment before he broke the connection and looked down again, a smile stretched across his face. Tina, her arms crossed across her body to keep in the warmth, felt color rising to her cheeks. She also grinned to herself and looked down to the ground as she bit her lip in thought. He had come to Paris. For _her_. He had wanted to find her, and he had. 

“We talked about...many things. Good things,” Tina said, her expression happier than she thought she should be at the moment. 

“Huh. Alright then,” Jacob answered as he continued to struggle with the Niffler. “Hey, Teen, you want this little guy? I don’t think he’ll settle down until he sees you.”

“Oh...yeah, of course,” Tina answered as she looked up at Jacob. “Here.” She stepped forward to meet her friend as he lifted the furry creature into her arms. She supported the Niffler’s back and he settled into her arms as he calmed on contact, stretched out and satisfied. She cradled the creature as if he were a baby. His head rested in the crook of her left arm and she began rocking him slightly as she looked up. She found Newt watching her, his hands in his pockets and an intense look in his eyes that she could only describe as admiring. She met and held his gaze, communicating as much as she could to him at that moment without words, absently stroking the Niffler’s soft fur. 

*****

The next several minutes brought Nicolas to their group. He handed out several croissants and sweet-smelling pastries which would have normally enticed each of the members of their small group. This morning, though, they ate out of necessity, the sweet dough turning their stomachs as they chewed. Even Jacob, who hours before had desperately wanted to try the delectable French pastries, seemed to be choking them down absently as he stared off toward the river. Tina, who had sat down with her back against the fountain, had not eaten anything. Her croissant remained balanced on her thigh, untouched. She leaned back with her eyes closed as she continued to stroke the sleeping Niffler in her lap. Her mind was far away as her thoughts raced through her mind, becoming foggier as time passed. _When had she last slept? In the sewer yesterday? Had she actually slept there on that wet, stone floor?_ She sighed to herself, the pounding headache behind her eyes becoming stronger. She wanted to cry, to scream, to yell and get mad, but most of all, she wanted to sleep.

The light whooshing of apparition could be heard at a distance and Tina cracked open her eyes, squinting into the sun’s glare, to try and find the source. She noticed that Newt, who had sat down at her side, had also heard the distant sound and turned his head, leaning forward slightly, as he looked around to locate the newcomer to their group.

A small woman gracefully exited a dark alley between buildings across the street and began to walk toward them. Her white hair had been pulled back into an elegant, sweeping chignon at the nape of her neck, a style that was outdated but fit her perfectly. She wore a light pink dress and a black shawl pulled tight around her frail-looking shoulders. As she came closer, Tina noted that she had the look and confidence of a woman who had been beautiful in her youth, the beauty remaining in her deep green eyes and a wide smile as she walked near.

“Mon trésor! Bonjour, ma belle,” Flamel greeted the woman, shuffling to her side and placing a kiss on her delicate hand. Her kind smile widened in response and her eyes softened as she whispered a greeting softly back to him. He turned to the group and the couple walked back to the fountain. “My friends, this is my wife, Perenelle.” Most members of their party attempted a polite head nod or hello. Yusuf, being the closest to the couple reached a hand out to lightly shake hers in greeting.

“Bonjour, ravi de faire votre connaissance, Madame.”

“Enchanté,” she replied in a strong alto voice, a sound that Tina did not expect to hear emerge from the frail body before her. “It is very nice to meet you all.” Her voice and the way she formed her vowels made Tina think of velvet. It was comforting and welcoming, but strong and protective. 

“I have prepared places for each of you to rest. I hope you will come to make yourselves at home.” The woman glanced around her, her eyes taking in the exhausted faces before her. “Please,” she continued, “allow Nicolas and me to take care of you. We have food and beds. You are all welcome in our home.”

Each member of their group began to stand and stretch their unused muscles. Tina gently handed the Niffler back to Newt who wordlessly opened the case and lowered the creature inside. He snapped the latches closed and stood, brushing off his coat and rolling his neck before looking over at Tina.

“Mr. Scamander?” Newt and Theseus both looked up at Nicolas before realizing it was Newt he was addressing. “You still have the address card, yes?”

“I do.”

“Good. Good, you can take part of the group as well. We shall meet again when we all arrive.” Newt nodded, patting the pocket of his coat as if to remind himself of the destination. The group began to split, Kama and Nagini with Nicolas, Tina and Jacob with Perenelle, and Theseus with Newt. One at a time, the groups began walking toward the dark alley where Perenelle had appeared minutes before.

“Where exactly are we going?” Theseus asked Newt. Newt raised an eyebrow in response as he looked at his brother’s tired expression. Theseus sighed and continued, “I don’t rightly care at the moment as long as I can sleep, but do you trust these people?”

“Yes,” Newt responded automatically, though he wasn’t quite sure why he was quick to trust the French couple, “I think we are in good hands. They...they’re friends of Dumbledore’s.”

“Ahh, well that’s reassuring.” Listening to Theseus’ monotone reaction, Newt wasn’t sure if he was genuine or sarcastic in his response. He nodded silently as they made their way into the damp darkness of the alley. Newt reached for his brother’s arm and, picturing his destination, they swirled out of sight.

The brothers appeared in the dim, dusty living room. Newt reached out to steady Theseus who had swayed upon impact, the day’s events and the resulting shock had left his body weak. With one hand around his back, Newt led him to a wine-colored couch that looked uncomfortable, but sturdy. He lowered Theseus onto the cushions gently before righting himself and looking around. The last of their group arrived with a sharp, sibilant sound and Newt nodded at Yusuf who made his way over to the settee where he had recovered from the poison of the eye parasite. _Was that just yesterday?_ Newt thought to himself. 

Once he could see that his brother was settled on the couch, Newt placed his case on the floor and flipped the latches open. He lowered himself inside and down the narrow ladder to the mostly empty shed below. While most of the necessary materials had been transferred to his basement, he did remember packing a few potions that could be helpful. Pocketing his limited supply and grabbing an amber-colored bottle, he climbed back up the ladder and into the company of their weary group.

Nicolas was speaking as Newt emerged. “I am afraid we only have two bedrooms, but we have several sleeping surfaces and many blankets. You are welcome to whatever you need.” His smooth accent was calming and Newt was thankful for the shelter that Nicolas and Perenelle had provided them. He saw Perenelle lead Nagini and Tina up the stairs, one hand on each of the women’s upper backs. Tina turned her head and scanned the room. She caught his eye and smiled at him before silently forming the words _sleep well_ with her lips. She turned her face back to the stairs and then she was out of sight. Newt heard a door close on the upper level and he sighed, hoping that Tina would finally get some much-needed sleep.

“What do you have there, Newt?” Jacob stepped forward, gesturing at the bottle in his hand.

“That’s for you. It’s a whiskey I picked up in Egypt. I assisted a local Muggle with a project in Cairo and he gave me this bottle as a token of thanks.” Newt passed the bottle to Jacob who eyed it critically, sloshing the liquid around in the half-full bottle. “It tastes bloody awful but it’s quite strong. I thought it might help you sleep since you can’t take sleeping potions.”

Jacob twisted the cork and smelled the liquid inside. His eyebrows shot up and his eyes fluttered as he took in the pungent fumes. He let out a low whistle and shook his head back and forth a few times before tipping the bottle to his lips and taking several large gulps.

His body shuddered as he lowered the bottle, scrunching his face as the aftertaste of the drink coated his tongue. “Ech, you’re right. That’s not good at all,” Jacob said with a forced chuckle as he corked the bottle and handed it back to Newt.

“Alright, me next,” Theseus said, reaching for the bottle. Newt pulled it away from his reach.

“I have something better for you,” Newt replied, pulling a small bottle from his coat pocket. The purple liquid within caught the dusty light from the window and Theseus, recognizing the potion immediately, sighed in thanks, reaching his hand forward to receive the offering. He uncorked the vial, tipping the dreamless sleeping draught back in one gulp.

“Thank you, Brother,” Theseus said sleepily, toeing off his shoes and laying back onto the cushions where he immediately fell asleep. Newt summoned a crocheted blanket from the back of an armchair and draped it over his brother, making sure he was covered before turning back to the other men in the room.

“I do have one more bedroom upstairs. There are two single beds there. I am sorry I don’t have enough for everyone.” Nicolas looked between the three comrades, gesturing to the stairs.

“I-- I think I’ll stay down here,” Newt said, eyeing his brother’s sleeping form. “I have accommodations in my case. I will stay down there for now.” He looked up at his friend. “Jacob, you and Mr. Kama can take the bedroom.”

“You’re sure, Newt?” Jacob asked worriedly.

“Yes. You go. I will be fine here.”

“Okay. You take care, Newt.” Jacob nodded at his friend before following Nicolas up the stairs. Yusuf turned and followed behind.

“Mr. Kama, wait.” Newt stepped forward and produced a vial of purple liquid, his last available. Newt placed the bottle into Yusuf’s hand. “Sleep well.”

Yusuf curled his fingers around the bottle. He looked up into Newt’s face and a hint of friendliness seemed to cross his tired eyes. “Thank you,” he said in his gruff, lilting voice. He paused a moment before turning back toward the stairs and following Nicolas and Jacob. Halfway up, he stopped and turned. “Sleep well, Mr. Scamander.” Then he was gone.

Newt sighed, turning to look around the now silent, mostly empty room. He closed his eyes and allowed himself a moment to reflect on his surroundings. He felt as if he had not stopped thinking or moving since arriving in Paris and he was exhausted. His body ached, his head was pounding, and he had not yet processed the losses their group had experienced. He needed to lay down. 

He turned toward his case which he had positioned next to his brother. He lowered his tired body down the ladder and into his shed, softly closing the lid behind him. He pushed open the wooden door and looked out into the vast area of his case. Most of the habitats were empty, but he could see the Zouwu sunning herself in the rocky enclosure he had originally created for the Erumpent. It would have to do for a few days until he was able to provide her with something more suitable. 

The Nifflers were playing in their small enclosure, the babies running around the golden nest and diving into the coins with joyful squeaks. Newt smiled at their playfulness as he coaxed his tired companion out of the golden nest and into his arms.

“Let me have a look at you,” Newt mumbled to the Niffler, feeling the injured paw gently. Newt sat on the ground and ran a clean cloth over his fur, gently cleaning the remaining soot and grime from his shining coat. The Niffler seemed to be tired, but not terribly sore. Newt lowered the creature back into his nest. “A nap for you, I should think,” he whispered as he watched the Niffler curl up and lay on his shining pile, his head resting on his front paws. 

Newt leaned back against the wooden wall behind him. He stared ahead, his vision beginning to blur at the peripheral. It took him several moments to realize that he had tears running down his cheeks. He knew he wasn’t grieving, not yet, though the realistic side of his brain knew that would come. He was still numb to that pain, but he was completely overwhelmed. He wanted to be helpful, to support the people he loved, but he was so _tired_. His body was shutting down, bit by bit. He needed a wash, a square meal, and sleep, but there was so much to do. He ached to his bones and his spent adrenaline had left him weak. He needed to help, he felt it deep within himself. He had chosen his side and he wanted to put his all into helping those that he had now vowed to protect, but what good was he right now? _What could he do?_

That was the last thought Newt had as he finally drifted off to sleep next to the Niffler’s nest, his head leaned back against the wall and tears running down his face.

*****

Tina sat on the double bed, a bed which she was almost positive belonged to Perenelle and Nicolas. She slipped her arms out of her coat and turned her wand on the dark blue leather. She cleaned it as well as she could but saw that the sleeve had been badly scorched and one spot on her thigh had been hit by flames at some point. She would have to repair it later before they went to the Ministry.

She gently tossed her coat into a nearby chair and leaned over to retrieve her miniature case from her pocket. She was thankful she had grabbed the case from her hotel room before leaving, not wanting to leave any of her files laying around. She wasn’t sure she would be returning to that hotel now. A quick flick of her wand and the _engorgio_ charm enlarged the case to its proper size. She opened the clasps with a snap, the sound reminding her of Newt, and glanced through her belongings. She pulled out a pair of pajamas, her dressing gown, and her toothbrush and tooth powder and set them on the bed beside her. She found her hairbrush and pulled it through her short, tangled locks causing it to go limp as it fell around her face. She tossed the brush back into the case unceremoniously before closing it with a snap and setting it on the ground at her feet with a sigh.

Tina wanted nothing more than to lay back and fall asleep, but Perenelle had insisted on getting the girls cleaned up and comfortable before they went to sleep. She had taken Nagini into the washroom as soon as they had entered the bedroom and she could hear Perenelle leading her through where everything could be found.

Tina found the kind woman to be comforting, even though she did not yet know her well. Her voice seemed to wrap around Tina, her cadence and the rise and fall of her vowels soothing everyone around her. Her kindness and motherly affection were needed right now, and Tina was grateful for her presence and help.

Perenelle emerged from the bathroom and shut the door with a soft click. She crossed the hallway and into the open door of the bedroom, smiling at Tina as she came closer.

“My dear, you have everything you need?” she asked as she approached. Tina nodded in response, her hand resting on top of her pile of belongings. “Very well. May I sit down, here?” Perenelle shuffled gracefully to the side of the bed and gingerly sat down next to Tina who had moved her items into her lap to make room for the woman. 

“Thank you for your help,” Tina began, but Perenelle held up a hand to stop her. She plunged forward, her heavily accented voice passionate and unfaltering. 

“There are no thanks needed. You and your friends helped to save my city last night. The city that means more to me than you could ever know.” Her hand found Tina’s and gripped it lightly. “I am grateful for your help and am so glad to provide shelter to friends of Monsieur Dumbledore.” 

Tina nodded her head, afraid to tell her host that she had not yet met the man. “We are all so grateful to you and Monsieur Flamel for hosting us. I don’t know what we would have done or where we would have gone if you had not been here.”

“Ah, but it does no good to think of the what-ifs, yes?” Perenelle smiled her way before standing once again and walking toward a chest along the wall. “Put your focus on the future now, my dear. You will have more success changing the future than you will changing the past. That’s what my mother always told me as a girl.” She smiled wistfully into space as she continued, “The advice has served me well for almost 600 years. I thought it might be useful to you as well.” She came back to Tina with a fluffy towel in hand. 

“Can I get you anything? Tea, something to eat?” Perenelle was looking down at her with an expectant look on her face.

“I think I’m okay,” Tina replied. “I will probably want something later, but I don’t think I could stomach anything right now,” she said.

“Alright. If you change your mind, please help yourself to the kitchen. I have food and drink down there now.”

Tina smiled at the woman warmly. “Thank you.”

“Is your hand...is it fine?” Perenelle asked Tina with concern, noticing the cloth that still covered the burn on her left hand. Tina cradled it to her chest, her right hand gingerly feeling the area that the burn had covered.

“Yes, I think so. Newt, er, Mr. Scamander...he helped me with it. I think it’s well on its way to being healed now.”

Perenelle held out one hand to Tina. “May I?” She asked. Tina gently placed her hand into Perenelle’s and the older woman began to unwrap the cloth from Tina’s injury. As the burn was revealed, Tina noticed with a sigh of relief that the burn cream had done a wonderful job. While still being slightly red, the burn was almost completely healed. Tina ran her thumb over the burn and looked at it closely. 

“He did a good job, your Mr. Scamander,” Perenelle said as she looked at the burn. Tina blushed and the corners of her mouth rose involuntarily.

“Yes, he did, didn’t he?”

“Ahh, so he is _your_ Mr. Scamander then, yes?” Perenelle looked at Tina’s flushed face with an amused smile.

“I, well...no. Not exactly.” Tina stammered a reply as she regarded the woman before her.

“You like him though, no?”

“Yes,” Tina answered quickly. She wasn’t sure why she was divulging this information to a woman she had only just met, but she felt safe in this space. A feeling she hadn’t felt in some time. It may have also been that she was matronly and warm, or that they would leave tomorrow and would probably never see her again. Either way, she continued speaking her new truth to Perenelle. “He is the most wonderful man I have ever met,” she whispered.

“There is more, yes?” Perenelle watched Tina as she processed her next words.

“We are on the brink of war. It’s-- well, it’s not the right time. He just lost his best friend and-- and my sister is gone now. We can’t seem to get our communication in sync. It just...isn’t the right time for that. Us.” Tina spoke the words sadly as her eyes studied her scuffed shoes and the knotted wood floors beneath. 

Perenelle considered her next words, her eyes softening. She enveloped Tina’s healed hand within her own, causing Tina to look up at her. “My dear, it is _always_ the right time.” Perenelle shifted her body to look at Tina face to face. “I was born in a time of kings and queens, and I have seen several come and go. I have seen war and revolution, plagues and times of peace. Do you know what made each season of life a little more wonderful, even if life outside my door was terrifying?” Perenelle regarded Tina who had caught the woman’s meaning. She looked back down at her lap as Perenelle continued. “I married Nicolas when we were 20 years old. I have been at his side nearly every day since then. We have lived in many places, seen important things, had a family and watched that family grow and multiply and eventually pass on without us. Our work and our love for each other has seen us through good times and bad times.” She smiled at Tina, the memories of her own long life flashing through her mind. “It hasn’t always been easy, that man can frustrate me and make me so angry I could spit.” Tina chuckled as she looked back up into Perenelle’s soft, green eyes. “But it was always worth it. Always. There was never any reason to wait, love saw us through all the hard times. Do you understand, dear one?”

Tina smiled, tears pooling in her eyes. “Yes. I--I think I do.” She absently ran her thumb and forefinger along the burn where Newt had tenderly cared for her hours before. “We will talk soon, I promise. It...it still may not be the right time, but _maybe_…” Tina, caught in her thoughts, looked back down at her hands.

The sound of a door clicking open made both women look up. Nagini looked out the door, skittish and nervous, as she looked at both of them across the hall. She opened the door wider and silently walked across the wooden floor and into the bedroom with her eyes trained on the floor. She was wearing a silk nightgown that was far too long for her small frame and a matching silk dressing gown. Both were made in a classic style and Tina assumed they belonged to Perenelle. 

“My dear, let me get Tina settled and I will come back and help you prepare for bed.” Perenelle pushed her frail body off of the bed with a grunt and shuffled to the washroom. Tina smiled softly at Nagini before gathering her supplies and following close behind.

When she entered the washroom, she found a white-tiled room with painted rose accents that encircled the space. The porcelain tub was already filling with water and was charmed to the right temperature with a skillful flick of Perenelle’s wand. Tina set her small pile of belongings on a shelf and stood behind Perenelle, shuffling her feet awkwardly while the older woman added a dropper full of oil to the bathwater. _Roses._ Tina could smell the floral scent and tears once again sprung to her eyes, though she swallowed and blinked them away before Perenelle could turn and see.

When the tub was full and Perenelle was satisfied, she summoned a fluffy towel and laid it into Tina’s arms. “Let me know if you need anything, my dear. I will be across the hall. Help yourself to anything in here.”

“Thank you.” Tina smiled at her and then Perenelle was gone, the door closing behind her with a soft click.

Tina sighed deeply, her aching muscles screaming for the warm bath before her. She peeled off her sweat-soaked and soot-stained clothing, setting them in a pile on the floor. Her undergarments came next, step-ins and stockings joining the pile at her feet. She turned to look at herself in the mirror, one hand coming up to run along the side of her face. She was dirty and had tear tracks running down her face. Her hair hadn’t been washed in days and hung limply along the sides of her face. Her thin lips were chapped and she looked drawn and faded, the spent adrenaline and days without proper sleep or food had left her aged. Her body wasn’t faring much better. Her ribs were sticking out and she looked thin. She had definitely lost weight since leaving New York.

Tina sighed and ran a hand through her dark, dirty hair before turning away from the mirror. She stepped over the side of the tub and slid down into the warm water, letting it soothe her. She took a deep breath of the steamy air and immediately released the tears she had tried to hide from Perenelle. Rose oil. The water smelled like Queenie. The oil had always been her sister’s favorite indulgence. 

Tina reached down to the pile of clothing at the side of the tub, one wet hand wrapping around the hilt of her wand. She cast a sound concealment charm and heard the resulting hum envelope the room. She dropped her wand back onto the pile of clothing and leaned back, resting her head against the cool porcelain of the tub and finally let go. Sobs wracked her body and tears poured down her face as she soaked, the essence of her sister surrounding her.

*****

Tina emerged sometime later, her pajamas hung from her thin frame and her dressing gown was wrapped lightly around her, tied at her waist. She felt much better after her bath, but her emotional release left her even more physically drained than she had felt before. As she entered the room, she found Perenelle and Nagini sitting on the bed, the older woman running a comb through Nagini’s long hair, helping her untangle the knots that had been left behind after her time on the run.

“Alright, my dears, I think it is time for you both to sleep.” She ran the comb through the locks before her once more before standing and making her way to the doorway. “Please sleep well,” she said, looking at each woman in the eye with a smile. “Goodnight.” Soft goodnights were heard from Tina and Nagini as Perenelle closed the bedroom door behind her, leaving the two young women alone.

Tina and Nagini looked at each other awkwardly for a moment, neither saying anything. Tina broke the silence after a few moments, walking closer to the bed. “Do you prefer a certain side of the bed?”

“Oh, um...no. I--” Nagini looked around the room, seemingly terrified.

“What is it?” Tina regarded her with tenderness, seeing the distraught look on the young woman’s face.

“I’m cursed. I...well, I don’t sleep. I do, but--” Nagini settled her eyes on her bare feet, her voice no higher than a nervous whisper.

“But?”

“I sleep as a snake. I...transform. That’s what I did in the circus.” Nagini wrung her hands together as she waited for the disgust from Tina that would never come.

“Ah, yes, that’s right. I remember. I was there to-- to keep an eye on Credence. To make sure he was safe.” Tina also lowered her eyes as she felt another pang of failure flash through her body, twisting her stomach with grief.

“You’re the Tina from New York, aren’t you?” Nagini finally looked up, though she still would not make eye contact. “Credence told me about you. About how you...saved him. From her.”

“Oh, um, yes. I-- I really did try to save him. I wanted to help him, but…”

“But his goals were too big for him,” Nagini finished for her, sadly. 

“Yes.”

A few more moments of silence passed between the women, both caught in their whirling thoughts. Tina was the first to break the quiet. “Is there...I’m sorry for asking this. Is there anything I should know? Before you transform, I mean.”

Nagini’s eyes snapped up quickly, meeting Tina’s for the first time. Where there had been shame moments before, there now was surprise.

“I just want to know if there is something I can do to make you more comfortable, or if there is anything I shouldn’t do while we share the space.” Tina waited for Nagini to process her question, the woman before her continuing to wring her hands anxiously.

“It doesn’t scare you?” Nagini asked timidly.

“No, not really. I just want to make sure that we are both safe and comfortable.”

“Oh, um,” Nagini thought through her words, “I will probably transform and sleep under the bed. I tend to prefer smaller, dark spaces when I’m…”

Tina waited for her to finish, pulling back the covers on the side of the bed closest to the door.

“It should be safe to get up and walk around once I’m down there. I-- I am still in control when I’m a snake. For now.” Nagini timidly glanced up at Tina who was climbing between the blankets, sinking into the soft mattress.

“Alright, good.” Tina smiled at Nagini tiredly, “Sleep well.”

“You too, Miss Goldstein.” Nagini sat on the side of the bed opposite Tina.

Tina yawned before addressing her once more. “Call me Tina.”

Nagini grinned, the first time Tina had seen her look happy since they had met in the cemetery. “Goodnight, Tina.”

Tina rolled over and felt Nagini stand from the bed, followed moments later by a loud shuffle and a brushing sound as Nagini in snake form slithered under the bed. After a few moments of silence, Tina brought her newly-healed hand to her chest, holding it close to her. Her thoughts raced through her brain. _Queenie. Newt. Credence. Leta. Would she still have a job? What was next? What would happen to Jacob?_

She closed her eyes tightly and shifted her face into the down pillow, her body finally giving in to the sleep it so desperately needed.


	4. Alone (With You)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my twin from far away,[@hidetheteaspoons ](https://hidetheteaspoons.tumblr.com/), for the beta work and the frequent boosts of confidence.

Chapter 4: Alone (With You)  
“Either death like a shadow or love like a light,  
every step it must follow then stay back and fight,  
for what you laid down or stood for in your life's great breath  
we sigh out, but we never die.”  
-Alone With You (Canyon City)  
\----------------------------------

A young Niffler by the name of Einstein found himself in the unfamiliar dirt of a new space. He knew his nest with his brother and sisters. He knew the human’s nest well, he had discovered many shiny things there. This was a new place. It was dusty and the light was different. He sniffed the air and found that the smells were different. It smelled like the rocky place where his usual nest was, but very faintly.

Those were not the smells that the young Niffler was after, though. He was after something else. Something that had caught his attention three hours ago. He had tried to ignore it because the strong, metal door was locked again. He dug down into the golden treasures in his nest, but it was _calling_ to him. He _needed_ it. He had jiggled the door to his nest for a long time before it finally popped open and he was free. 

Einstein crept closer to the human. He was their human, the one that gave them shiny things for their nest. He always had treasures in his pocket, but the shiny that the Niffler wanted was not in the usual pocket on his hip. This pocket was up near his face. He climbed up the human’s leg, then over the human’s stomach before pulling himself up, climbing the mother of pearl buttons like a ladder. He finally got to the small pocket and reached a paw in, carefully tugging the crystal sculpture loose. He pulled and pulled, wiggling the treasure free as it slipped from the pocket. Einstein was falling, his paws wrapped tightly around his prize. He landed on the human’s leg and struggled to get free from the folds of fabric around him.

“What the….ouch! Hey!”

Einstein kept his paws around his treasure. It was shiny _and_ powerful, he could feel it. The human rubbed his neck with one hand while reaching for the treasure with the other, lifting both the Niffler and the shiny crystal into the air.

“I’m not sure you can handle a blood pact, little one.” Einstein’s human smiled at the little creature, cradling him in his palm and prying the blood pact from his desperate paws. Einstein whimpered at the loss of his shiny, and the pitiful sounds filled the space prompting his human to frown in response. The human reached deep into the pocket of his trousers to retrieve a handful of golden coins. The Niffler placed his paws on the coins, feeling the cool metal beneath him. He laid down on top of the pile and looked up at his human who was attempting to stand up with a baby Niffler and pile of Galleons in one hand. He was carrying Einstein back to his nest where his siblings were still sleeping. He was so tired, maybe a quick nap in the nest before trying to get the shiny again? Yes, that would be nice. 

“I spoil you, don’t I?” The human smirked as he watched the baby Niffler in his hand. He lowered the creature into the nest and gently laid him and his new treasure into the middle of the pile, giving his chin a gentle scratch with the tip of his finger. Einstein curled up and sighed deeply, his dark eyes closing contentedly as he snuggled into his pile of glittering, metal coins. He heard the door close and the lock snap, but he would deal with that later.

*****

Newt rolled his neck feeling his vertebrae pop and align after his time laying against the wall. He had slept with his head lolling forward onto his chest and he was now feeling the effects of his poor choice. He rubbed his aching neck and rolled his head to the side feeling his taut muscles and tendons straining against the motion. He released an agitated sigh as he pulled his pocket watch from the pocket of his unbuttoned waistcoat. He had been asleep for only three hours. He needed more sleep but, he knew from experience, once he was awake he would be up for a while. 

Newt peeled the soiled waistcoat from his body, detaching his watch as he walked toward his shed. He threw the waistcoat unceremoniously into the corner with his crumpled jacket and placed his watch on his workbench. With a wave of his wand, the bottom drawer of his desk unlocked and slid open. The drawer held all of the things that were important, things the Nifflers couldn’t get their paws on. They had a free range of everything in his case except these few items. The blood pact joined a box of several letters that he had kept as mementos, two framed photographs, his Victory Medal from the war, and a velvet box containing his grandmother’s wedding band that she had given to him when he was eighteen, just before he was shipped out to the Eastern Front. He slid the wooden drawer shut and waved his wand across the front, locking it tightly. 

Placing his hands on the edge of the desk, Newt leaned forward, dropping his pounding head between his shoulders as he took several deep breaths and felt his sore muscles protest painfully. He was tense, so tightly wound, and felt equal parts angry, terrified, and devastated. He had never felt so thoroughly spent, and he knew that this would only be the beginning. As much as he hated to think about the future following what had transpired the night before, he knew that they were on the brink of war. Again. He would face more fighting, more death, and more destruction. Following his time as a soldier, he had envisioned a quiet life. For years he had just wanted to travel and discover as much as he could about the magical creatures of the world. New York had changed things. 

For the first time, he had friends who appreciated _him_ rather than the things he could give them, people with whom he could see himself spending time for no reason other than because it was something they both wanted. He had never thought that his future would involve other people in any capacity with the exception of his small, remaining family. Life had taught him that it was best to be alone. 

His experiences with school had taught him that people were annoyed by him because he didn’t act and feel the same way that they did. Leta taught him that friendship had to be built on more than convenience and proximity. His time in the war taught him that he couldn’t trust most people, even those people who swore to support him. His time in the field convinced him that being lonely was better than being hurt again. New York, though, was the place he learned that people existed who _could_ be trusted. It was where he found that he wouldn’t mind living life alongside someone else. 

After years of solitude, a single week in New York City was all it took to develop the desire to face a beautiful future that could include the things he had never dreamed he would experience. It was overwhelming. It was terrifying and exciting. Seeing Tina’s hopeful look in the Records Room had spurred emotions within him that he had not felt before. It was wonderful and fleeting, for just a few moments there was hope that maybe the things he had been feeling for months were reciprocated after all.

Then Leta appeared. They traveled to Père Lachaise. Queenie and Credence defected, Leta disappeared into nothing, and the people he loved most in the world were hurting. He was hurting, too. He hurt _so_ much, the pain was overwhelming, but the guilt he felt was just as overpowering. Tina lost so much, her sister and the boy she had worked so hard to save. Theseus lost the love of his life and was more troubled than Newt had ever seen him. Jacob watched his fiance walk through the fire, leaving him alone in a world full of magic he could not control. Newt needed to be there for all of them. He needed to pull himself together and support them, they had all lost so much more than he had. He growled under his breath, clenching the edge of his desk. 

“Buggering hell…” 

He closed his eyes tightly, willing his headache to subside as he pushed himself upright. If he wasn’t sleeping, he could at least make himself smell respectable again. He walked to the back of his shed and through a small door to his living quarters where he kept a wooden washtub. He filled it with water from the tip of his wand, warming it until it was just shy of too hot. Stripping his remaining clothing, he sank into the hot water with a grimace as it enveloped his body. He put his head in his hands, tangling his fingers into his ruddy curls, as his mind continued to churn scenarios and memories, over and over again. 

*****

Fire. It was everywhere, swirling and nipping at her skin. She was running, but she wasn’t running fast enough. She swiveled her head to watch behind her as people screamed and were engulfed by the wall of blue flames, disappearing from sight, never to be seen again. She was sprinting, her lungs heaving and begging for oxygen. Her wand was gripped tightly in her hand, but she could not remember a spell that would help her or her friends. The fire overtook Aurors, people she knew and people she didn’t. It overtook Nagini, then Flamel...then Jacob. Queenie turned, screaming, and ran into the fire after him. Her body disintegrated, floating up like ash on the wind. Tina halted in place, staring at the place where her sister had once stood, a silent scream stuck in her throat and tears streaming from her eyes.

“Run, Tina! _Go!_”

Newt. It was just her and Newt now. He grabbed her hand and pulled her along until she was able to run on her own again, willing her mind to push her legs forward and away from the blue wall of flames. She was faster than Newt and she ran with all of her might, comforted by his familiar footfalls just behind her. They were staying ahead of the flames, though her body just wanted to rest. She needed to sit, she needed water. They sprinted until she felt as though she was going to pass out, her mind was cloudy and spots danced along the edge of her vision. 

The crash behind her made her turn her head. She watched as Newt’s case, which had hit an ancient-looking tombstone along the path as he ran, fell to the ground and skidded across the gravel. Newt halted his running, mentally calculating his chances as he turned to look at the wall of flame behind him. It was too close. It enveloped his case full of magical creatures and he whipped his face away, tears streaming down his face as he locked eyes with Tina. 

“**RUN!** Tina! Get out! Save yourself!” He pushed forward and sprinted as fast as he could but his moment of hesitation had cost him his small lead on the fire and it caught him. Tina watched, horrified, as he continued to push forward and try to run, even though his body was slowly disintegrating around him. The last thing she saw was his silent screams telling her to run away, to get herself out.

She turned around and ran. Tina felt like every movement she made was in slow motion. She ran as hard as she could, though the knowledge that she was the only one left made her lose some of her motivation that, until now, had kept her going. Now she was close. Tina could see the gate. If she could get through that gate, she would be safe, she knew it. She ran. Drops of perspiration rolled down her face as she pumped her arms and threw every last bit of her energy into her escape. She turned once more to see the blue flames right on her heels. She pushed harder, the roar of the fire in her ears…

Tina’s eyes snapped open. She was drenched in sweat and she was panting hard, her breath coming in spurts as her lungs tried to gulp in air through her panic. Her hands were clenching her pillow and she found herself up nearly on her hands and knees, her body tensed in the unfamiliar bed and her heart pounding against her ribcage. Tina had tears streaming down her face and she felt herself sob and her body tremble as she tried desperately to calm her ragged breathing.

_She was safe. She was alive. Her friends were alive. Queenie was….alive. Somewhere. She was okay. She was safe. She was safe._

Once she had calmed herself enough to move, she flipped her body around to sit up on the bed. The wrinkled bed sheets were twisted tightly around her sweaty body. She kicked frantically to free her legs and the cool air of the room was a welcome relief. She sat on the side of the bed, taking deliberate, deep, calming breaths as she felt her heart rate slow. She needed water, her tongue felt like sandpaper and her throat still felt itchy after breathing in the smoke at Père Lachaise. She knew she would not be getting back to sleep anytime soon, the images from her dream were still too fresh in her mind. She stood and walked over to the chair where she had draped her housecoat, wrapping the familiar blue garment over her shoulders and tying it tightly at her waist. It felt just a little bit like home. She opened the door as quietly as she could and turned once to survey the room. She could just make out Nagini’s sleeping form under the bed as she closed the door tightly behind her.

Tina padded across the hall to the washroom where she was able to look into the mirror, the early afternoon light streaming in through the small window to her left. Her fringe was clinging to her sweaty forehead and the hair at the back of her neck was sticking together in messy clumps. Puffy, red eyes stared back at her and her skin looked sunken and pale. A few waves of her wand fixed most issues, but she still looked tired and as if she had been crying. There was nothing she could do about that. With a deep sigh, she pocketed her wand and made her way quietly down the stairs toward the kitchen. She wasn’t expecting to see anyone up, but Jacob was sitting quietly at the kitchen table. He had picked a leftover croissant apart and was pushing the pieces around his napkin absentmindedly, his cheek resting in his other hand.

She pulled the nearest chair out with a slight scrape and sat next to him, their eyes connecting in mutual hurt and understanding. One hand reached out to rest over his own, stilling his fidgeting. Tina squeezed Jacob’s hand once, attempting to offer comfort, and he quirked one corner of his mouth up in understanding. They needed each other. They were an unlikely pair, for sure, but they would fight for Queenie side by side. Those words didn’t need to be said, but they both knew. They were in this together.

*****

Tina was ravenous. It had been nearly two days since she had eaten anything and her appetite had returned with fervor. She was just finishing her third pastry when she heard a metallic, scraping sound from the living room. Jacob stretched his neck to peer around Tina and sniggered slightly before standing from his chair and walking toward the space next to where a sleeping Theseus still lay, unmoving, with his arm dangling haphazardly off of the side of the couch. The Niffler, rested and ready to scout for more shiny treasures, had slipped through the lid of the case and was now sniffing in Theseus’s direction, his eyes locked on his silver pocket watch. 

Jacob leaned down to scoop up the creature and hold him to his chest, leading him back to the kitchen and depositing him into Tina’s lap. The Niffler sat on her leg, peering up at her contentedly, before curling up in a circle like a cat, his paw batting at the golden locket that always remained around her neck. She ran blunt fingernails down his back and he stretched and purred in response, his eyes closing in blissful contentedness. 

“He sure has taken a liking to you,” Jacob said as he took a drink of an amber-colored liquid. Tina decided not to ask him about its contents. “You should have seen him in Paris. Newt, I mean...with that Niffler...he was like a man possessed trying to get to you. I don’t remember what he and Queen talked about before he lifted that spell, it’s all fuzzy, but whatever it was, he was pretty upset about it.”

Tina sighed as she pet the Niffler, his black coat shiny and soft beneath her fingertips. “I stopped writing to him,” Tina said sadly, “I-- I shouldn’t have. I should have written to ask him if the story in the magazine was true. I just…”

“You couldn’t.” Jacob finished for her, understanding etched across his face. Tina nodded, her eyes locked on the Niffler in her lap. “You need to talk to him, you know. He went through a lot the past few months, he’s been just as upset and confused as you.”

“I know. I’m just...scared, you know?” Tina lifted her eyes to look at Jacob as he played with the smooth rim of his tumbler. She sighed as she decided to divulge some of her inner thoughts to the only friend who might understand. “I mean, I hurt everyone I get close to. I drove Queenie away, I’ve already hurt Newt once... I can’t stand to lose someone I care about again.” Tina paused and Jacob continued to watch her, his face unreadable. “I have so few people left now and...I-- I don’t know if it’s worth it to leave it to chance. Maybe we should just stay friends.”

Jacob leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table as he thought about his reply. “First of all, you didn’t drive Queenie away. She...she was mad at me. If anything I was the one who drove her straight to that madman.”

Tina blinked owlishly at Jacob, “How could you think that?”

“I...well, I called her crazy. Or thought it, I guess. After Newt lifted that spell, I was so frustrated at her, it just-- It was just there, in my mind, ya’know?”

Tina sighed, one hand running through her short hair in frustration, “You are allowed to _think_ things, Jacob. She knows that. Just because you think something doesn’t mean that it’s what is your truth.”

Jacob looked down at the table, running a finger over the worn wood grain. “Maybe.” He didn’t look convinced. He looked up at her then, catching her eye. “What is it that you are so afraid of, Teen? With Newt?”

“Changing the subject…” Tina chuckled lightly as color flooded her cheeks. She sighed before pushing forward, deciding to trust in Jacob with her newly-realized truth. “I’m afraid he’ll leave. Things won’t work, or...he’ll get mad at me or get sick of me and he’ll… just leave. Or something will happen and-- and I won’t have him in my life anymore.” She was near tears now, her red-rimmed eyes filling near to overflowing as she stared at the tabletop. “Everyone in my life seems to leave me. My parents, Queenie, most of my friends from school…” Tina dabbed at her eyes with the sleeve of her housecoat and she lowered her gaze to the table, very aware of Jacob’s intense gaze. “It hurt so much when we weren’t writing to each other anymore. I don’t want that to happen again.”

“But what if it doesn't?” Jacob’s words made Tina look up with a start. “What if he doesn’t leave, what if this thing you two have been dancing around is actually...something? You know what I mean?” Tina bit her lip, smiling to herself at the possibility. She had spent hours daydreaming about a future that could include Newt, but was it actually possible?

“Talk to him, Tina.” Jacob aimed a small smile her way as he drained the last of his drink and set the tumbler back on the table with a clink. “I-- I know that anything can happen, now. Nothing is certain when it comes to relationships...but don’t take this for granted.” Jacob’s voice was rough and tinged with emotion, “Take a gamble, it might turn out better than you think.” Jacob reached across the table to squeeze her hand once with a smile on his face. “He’s a good guy. A _really_ good guy.”

“I know he is. We’ll talk, I promise.”

“Good, good.” Jacob pushed up from the table, his chair scooting back with a screech against the wooden floor. “Well, that Niffler in your lap means that Newt will probably be up here soon. He’ll notice that it’s out of its nest pretty quickly. I’ll give you twos some time alone. I need more sleep.” Tina nodded as Jacob walked toward the staircase. He turned to look at her once more before ascending. “Talk to him. He’s all confused too, ya’know?”

“Yeah, I know,” Tina responded with a tight-lipped smile, “I’ll talk to him. Thanks, Jake...for everything.” Jacob waved as he walked up the staircase, turning around the corner and disappearing down the hallway. 

It didn’t take long for Newt to make his appearance after Jacob’s departure. Just a few minutes passed before the lid of the case opened and Newt’s head appeared, his hair recently washed and combed and still slightly damp where it draped over his forehead in messy curls. His lips turned up in a small smile when he saw her sitting at the table and he pushed himself up and out of the case with practiced ease, closing the lid silently behind him.

He was wearing more casual blue trousers and a knitted grey v-neck sweater over his collared shirt, which he had left unbuttoned at the top. Tina realized that she had never seen him dressed casually and that she rather liked it. He looked more comfortable and relaxed, though she knew he was far from feeling that way. As he maneuvered around the Flamel’s various tables full of tools and contraptions, he finally spotted the Niffler who was contently sleeping on Tina’s lap. He cocked his head to the side and playfully glared at him before rolling his eyes and smiling lightly at Tina.

“So sorry about him. He’s rather incorrigible and thinks he is owed attention.” Newt addressed her softly, aware of the other sleeping members of their party. “May I sit down?” he asked as he approached the side of the table, gesturing toward the chair at her side. Tina nodded and he pulled out the chair, sitting with a sigh and placing his elbows on the table. He rested his chin in his hands as he watched her, his eyes not quite connecting with hers.

“Are you alright with him?” Newt asked, nodding his head at the Niffler. Tina resumed her light pets, feeling calmed by the warm, soft fur beneath her fingertips.

“Of course, I’ve been enjoying the cuddles since he came up here a little while ago.” She looked up at him, nervously addressing him with Jacob’s words fresh in her mind. He laughed quietly in response and seeing his smile made her heart beat faster. 

“I think he’s adopted you, Tina. He’s taken quite a fancy to you.” Newt’s eyes flashed to hers before his gaze settled somewhere near her shoulder, “He’s going to be hard to pry away now.”

“Is that normal? I mean, in the book you never...I don’t remember reading about attachment to humans.” Tina watched as Newt smiled slightly at the mention of her reading his book before he spoke.

“There isn’t a lot of documented evidence, just my own observations. Not many Nifflers live with humans like this one here.” Tina continued to softly pet the Niffler as she listened to Newt talk about his findings. His face lit up and he spoke with confidence, something she had enjoyed the few times she had seen it in New York. As much as she enjoyed and adored the creatures in his care, watching him talk about them was the most enjoyable part of all. “They do mate for life, so I am assuming that they can form an attachment to humans in the same way they would a mate, though it would...be quite a different relationship, of course.”

“Of course.” Tina chuckled, smiling up at Newt. She paused, aware of the mostly comfortable silence between them. “I love hearing you talk about them, you know. Your creatures.” She met his eyes as he looked up at her.

“Do you?”

“Mmhmm. I wish you could have added more to your book, the knowledge you carry astounds me.” Tina watched him process her words, his hands fidgeting on the tabletop.

“It’s really no different than your knowledge of laws and procedures. We retain the information we care about the most,” he said, his eyes on his interlaced fingers. 

“Well, even so, I didn’t write a book about my field. I wish Mr. Worme hadn’t made you cut all of that extra information out. I would have loved to read it.” He looked up at Tina, surprise flashed across his features.

“You remember that he made me do that? That happened right after I met you.”

Tina smiled softly, her nerves finally giving way to boldness as she repeated his words from moments before. “We retain the information we care about the most.” Newt looked down with a smile, color flashing across his face at her words. Tina chuckled nervously, “I loved your letters, Newt. I--I’m so sorry I stopped writing. I shouldn’t have.”

“It’s okay, Tina. I understand, really...”

“It’s not okay.” Newt looked up, meeting her deep eyes that flashed with emotions he couldn’t decipher. “I never should have believed that trashy magazine. I knew better but...Queenie told me…” Tina trained off, tears springing to her eyes at the mention of her sister. She sniffed, blinking back the tears. “I was wrong. I’m sorry, Newt. _So_ sorry.”

“Tina, I--” He took a deep breath and shifted in his chair to face her, “I am just as much to blame. I never wrote, either. When I didn’t hear from you, I...I figured you were tired of me or…” _Or you had moved on_, he thought. Newt trailed off before he could continue, still not certain if she was indeed dating the Achilles Tolliver Queenie had mentioned. He shrugged, signaling the end of his thought, his eyes shifting down to his hands once more. 

“I could never get tired of hearing from you,” Tina said softly. Newt looked up toward her face again, a toothy grin spreading across his features, a contrast to the darkness surrounding them. _Was he allowed to feel happy when so many people had just died? When the people he loved were hurting?_

“Well, then.” Newt leaned forward, leaning his head on one hand that he had propped on the table. He could feel his hands shaking with nervous energy and immediately pulled both hands into his lap again. He was entirely out of his element and was struggling to find the words to express how he was feeling. He gained courage from her words and forced himself to speak calmly and with a fortitude that he did not possess. “If you are amenable, I’d like to try this again. Start over, or...or where we left off, rather.”

Tina looked up at him, her features exhibiting her own nervousness. She smiled, her eyes flashing and color staining her pale skin as she watched him. 

“I’d like that.”

“Me too.” They smiled at each other, understanding passing between them. There was trust there, and mutual respect and affection. It was exhilarating and new, and a little terrifying, but it was real. 

The moment was broken as Theseus rolled over on the ancient couch with a sigh, the wood beneath him squeaking in protest. Newt and Tina, surprised by the sudden sound, both jumped before looking at each other and laughing softly. Newt leaned his head on one balled-up fist, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he smiled at Tina, still shaking lightly with laughter. 

“I’m still a bit jumpy,” he said once they had calmed a bit.

“Understandable,” Tina replied, her hand still absently petting the Niffler stretched out on her lap. “I am, too.”

“Indeed.” Newt leaned back in his chair with a deep sigh. “Would you like some tea? I think I’m going to make a pot.”

“The British fix-all?” Tina smirked at Newt who turned to look at her with a grin.

“Absolutely.”

“Yes, I’ll take some,” Tina said as she watched Newt turn back to his task. He summoned the leaves, a tea kettle, and a teapot and waved his wand to speed up the process. Pulling down two sturdy-looking ceramic mugs, he levitated the teapot and the mugs to the table, along with a bowl of sugar and some milk. He set one mug in front of Tina and sat down beside her, leaning forward to pour the steaming, fragrant tea into her mug.

“That smells excellent. What is it?” 

“It’s chamomile and lavender. I grow the chamomile in my basement at home and my mother grows the lavender in her garden. She uses it to calm the hippogriffs.” Newt passed her the sugar as he took a sip from his mug, the steam rising around his face. Tina added a spoonful of the crystals to her drink before taking a sip.

“It’s really good. I like it.”

Newt smiled at her softly over the rim of his cup before he set it down on the table in front of him. “It reminds me of home, growing up. My mother always had lavender everywhere, in the stables to calm the hippogriffs, placed around the house…” Newt chuckled to himself, “She always said she had to keep her ‘savage lads’ calm somehow. I think it just became a habit after a while.”

Tina giggled softly. “Were you wild as a child? I don’t know if I can picture that.”

“Not exactly, no. I got into scrapes quite often but tended to keep to myself. Theseus was quite the rambunctious boy, I hear. I never really got to see that side of him, he’s several years older than me, you see.”

“Ahh.” Tina sipped her tea before setting the mug down once more, her eyes watching Newt and her fingers dancing along the handle of the clunky, ceramic mug that seemed too big to house such a light tea. “How-- How’s he doing? Theseus?” Newt sighed deeply, his head drooping slightly. 

“Not well. I think he’s still in shock. We all are.” He looked up with concern at Tina who lowered her eyes to her tea and nodded her head. 

“I’m sorry about Leta. I know you were close.” Tina addressed him sadly, her sincere words conveying more than one meaning.

“We...weren’t. Not anymore. She-- well, she and I haven’t been close for a number of years.”

“Oh.” Tina looked confused as she looked up at Newt, her eyes showing curiosity though she didn’t ask further. 

Newt continued, seeing that she still held doubts. “Leta and I had quite a falling out many years ago. I-- I think you misunderstood the kind of relationship she and I had. That blasted magazine didn’t help matters…” Newt sighed, looking up at her downturned face. Color had risen to the apples of her cheeks and he pushed forward, knowing what needed to happen. “I should tell you about it. All of it. When we get back to London, I will tell you everything. I...I think there has been far too much misunderstanding between us about her already.”

“Newt…” Tina’s eyes shot up to meet his, her head shaking back and forth slowly. “You don’t have to…”

“I know.” Newt held her gaze, “I know I don’t, but I want you to know. I don’t want to move on into whatever is next and not… I mean....” He looked down briefly before forcing himself to hold eye contact with her, her wide eyes softening at his words, “I don’t want this to happen again. I missed you, Tina. I-- I don’t want there to be miscommunication between us. Not anymore.”

Tina looked back at Newt, her eyes suddenly teary as she smiled wetly and tilted her head slightly to the side. “I missed you, too.”

Newt grinned widely to himself as he looked down at the tea leaves that had escaped the strainer and floated lightly through the liquid. He found himself relating to the twisting, turning leaves as he realized he felt light for the first time in months. How could he feel this happy when they had lost so much just a few short hours ago? 

Tina yawned widely, her hand coming up to shield her face. She laughed lightly as she looked over at Newt apologetically. 

“You need sleep, Tina.”

“I do, yes. So do you.”

Newt sighed, knowing that she was right but sorry to have to leave her company. He drained the last of his tea before collecting Tina’s empty mug and setting them in the sink, flicking his wand at them so they would wash themselves. When he turned around, she was directly behind him, holding a sleepy Niffler in her arms.

“You should probably take this one. I would love to keep him, but I don’t want to know the kind of mischief he would cause in Nicolas’ and Perenelle’s bedroom.” Newt chuckled lightly as he held out his hands, lightly scooping the Niffler into his arms. They were standing very close right now, closer than they had been in months. Newt looked down at Tina and she could tell that he was affected by their proximity as well. She took a deep breath, inhaling the clean scent of soap and cedar. It was earthy and sweet, entirely Newt.

Tina reached out a tentative hand, running her fingertips along his upper arm. She was hyper-aware of the texture of the soft wool of his sweater as she touched him. She felt him watching her, holding his breath as she finished her innocent, exploratory movements. “We should get some sleep.” She whispered the words to him, still not looking into his eyes.

“Yes.”

“I’ll see you in a few hours.” Tina dropped her hand back to her side where she balled it into a light fist, still feeling the light texture of wool on her fingertips. She backed away slowly, finally looking up into his face. His eyes were intense and full of emotion as he watched her.

“Sleep well, Tina.”

“You too.”

He watched as Tina turned and climbed the stairs, looking back at him with a smile just before she turned down the hallway and walked out of sight. He released the breath he didn’t realize he had been holding and looked down at the Niffer in his arms. Dark eyes looked up at him with interest before they swung toward the staircase where Tina had just ascended and back to Newt again. The Niffler let out a small, questioning squeak.

“I know, friend. _Merlin_, I know…” Newt released a long string of air, gazing in the direction of the staircase once more before maneuvering through the living space toward his case.


	5. Say Anything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A trip to the Ministère des Affaires Magiques de la France answers questions, gives our heroes a bit of direction, and leaves Travers an angry mess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, as always to my lovely beta, [@hidetheteaspoons!](https://hidetheteaspoons.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Thanks for sticking with this story, readers. You all bring me joy, and I appreciate you coming back for each update. I hope you are all staying safe and healthy as we wait out Covid-19. Enjoy a little FB fun!

Chapter 5: Say Anything

“We won't break if we let go.

You and I already know, we were bound to be set free.

Even surely, here we are now. You can say anything.”

-Say Anything (Tristan Prettyman)

\----------------------------------

The temporary residents of the Flamel household gathered in the living room as the clock on the mantel began to near 9:00 in the morning. The members of their party were haggard and most were wearing what they had the day before, but they had slept and eaten. The air was still tense with unshared guilt and mourning, but all present looked better than they had the previous day.

“We are to arrive in Place de Furstenberg in small groups of two to three at a time. We will enter through the visitor’s entrance since none of us have apparition clearance within the ministry.” Theseus looked up from his letter and around at the group. “Just make sure to give the other groups time to enter inconspicuously. We don’t want to draw attention to the entrance. Is that clear?”

There were mumbled affirmations from each member of the group with the exception of Jacob who was standing toward the edge of the room.

“Mr. Scamander, I, uh, I think I’m going to stay behind.” Theseus looked up at Jacob with a furrowed brow. “I’m no wizard, you see, and I don’t think they even know I’m here.” Jacob looked up at Newt who stood to his side, “I can’t be obliviated again. I have to do..._something_. I need to help Queenie. I can’t do that if I don’t know nothing about magic.” Theseus looked to Newt who nodded his head at his brother, signaling his agreement with Jacob’s idea. Theseus nodded in return as he silently communicated with his brother. He sighed then addressed Jacob, “Alright. You stay here with Mademoiselle Flamel. We will keep your involvement quiet for now, though it may need to be brought to light once we reach British soil.” Theseus’ look softened as he continued to address Jacob, “I can assure you that you will not be obliviated there, muggle involvement is not illegal through the Ministry of Magic. You will be safe there.” Jacob nodded in understanding before stepping back away from the group and listening from his new position leaning against the wall. 

Theseus turned his attention to Newt and addressed him with a frown as he folded the letter from Travers and tucked it into his breast pocket. “Now, you may see some hostility when we enter the French Ministry.” Newt raised his eyebrows at his brother but did not seem surprised to hear that he was not well-liked among Ministry personnel at the moment. “I don’t think I need to tell you that you buggered up your chances for international travel in the near future. Travers is furious with you and the Ministry had to repair quite a bit of damage to their atrium.” His hand came to rest on the pocket where the letter sat, “Travers wrote three whole paragraphs on your involvement and your misdoings, so you can imagine how well today will go.” 

Newt huffed in annoyance, though he did not argue. Tina glanced up at Newt’s face through her peripheral and saw that his jaw was set and his teeth were clenched as he held himself back from saying what was crossing his mind in favor of letting his brother take control. While Newt usually said whatever came to mind, he also knew when to fall back.

“I will do my best to advocate for you, Newt, but I will also be fighting for my own hide this morning. I’m not sure how much pull I will have this time.” Newt nodded once as he remained silent, his frown was etched into his face and two lines had found their way between his eyebrows and his lips were pressed together. He was struggling to hold back his nerves.

“Goldstein.” Theseus addressed Tina in a businesslike manner and Tina’s mind snapped to attention and away from Newt. She straightened her shoulders and her attention shifted to Theseus, her look transforming to one of concentration and respect. He wasn’t acting as Newt’s brother, he was now in Head Auror mode.

“Yes, sir,” 

“You will be with us today. Because there are no MACUSA supervisors currently in France, and as you are the only American Auror currently being brought in for questioning, you have been placed under my direct supervision until your return to MACUSA.” Theseus pulled a thin, white envelope from his jacket pocket and handed it to Tina who took it and carefully removed the single piece of white stationery from within. She read the short note quickly before looking up at Theseus once more.

“Understood. Thank you, Mr. Scamander.” She tucked the envelope and its contents into her own jacket pocket in preparation for their travels. She glanced back up at Theseus who considered her with an unreadable look.

“I’m not sure what will happen to you when we get there. This letter was directly from Director Graves who is an old friend of mine.” Theseus appeared slightly concerned at this point, a crease had appeared between his eyebrows. She had seen that look several times on Newt’s face. It was oddly familiar. The resemblance between them was uncanny at times. “Any instructions that came from Director Graves’ superiors, including President Picquery, will go straight to Mr. Travers. I have no control over their actions today.”

“Yes, sir,” Tina replied. “Thank you for your help, I do appreciate it.”

Theseus nodded at Tina, his eyes lingering on her face for a moment before looking around at the rest of the group. He sighed deeply and rolled his head, trying to lessen the tension he held in his shoulders. He looked exhausted and haunted, the bags under his eyes were prominent despite the hours of sleep he had been granted with the help of Newt’s sleeping potion. He looked controlled and was exuding an air of professionalism, but Newt wondered if it was a show. Several times throughout the morning, Theseus looked like he was moments away from breaking down. Newt feared for his brother in more ways than one. How were any of them supposed to endure questioning right now? He had a bad feeling about this meeting and a hunch that it wouldn’t go well for anyone involved. He hoped he was wrong, for Theseus’ sake, for all of them. 

As the minute hand on the clock clicked to show 8:55, the groups of people began apparating in pairs to the entrance, giving each group a minute or two to get into place. Flamel and Kama led the group, being the most familiar with the Ministry, and went to greet the French Aurors first. Newt and Tina stood back, standing silently next to Jacob as they watched the pair disappear, followed soon after by Theseus and a trembling Nagini.

“Good luck,” Jacob said softly, looking first at Newt, then to Tina. “I hope things go well. Thank you for, well, for backing me up there. It means a lot.”

“Of course, Jacob. I’m not about to let them do anything to you,” Newt said, turning to look at his friend. “You’re in this just as much as we are.”

Tina nodded at Newt’s side, her eyes showing sadness and determination as she looked at him. “I’m going to need help getting my sister back. You’re the one she will come back for.” She smiled at him sadly, “You’re family, you know.”

Jacob smiled as he leaned back against the wall. “Thanks, Teen.”

Newt turned and glanced at the clock on the mantel. “Um, we’d better…”

“Yeah.”

Newt placed his hand, palm up, in front of him. Tina placed her hand in his, then with one final look at Jacob, they swirled out of sight and right into the alley they had appeared in the day before. The quaint square was mostly clear, and the pair walked forward and into the entrance, reluctantly dropping hands along the way. They entered the lift which slowly lowered them down into the atrium. Newt glanced above him at the ornate bars that crossed above his head. He had the momentary feeling of being trapped, like a caged bird. It seemed fitting.

As the elevator entered the bright atrium, the morning sun that streamed through the bright skylights above illuminated their dark cage before the door opened with a metallic clang. The rest of their group was waiting just to the side of the lift, all on edge and all looking weary and nervous. Theseus pushed himself off the wall where he had been leaning and motioned for the group to follow him. He led them around the atrium, the tilted floors playing tricks on their tired minds as several members of their party stumbled across the swirling tiles. Theseus led them up a dark staircase and onto the second floor before turning left and taking another sharp left down a corridor labeled _Bureau des Aurors _in golden letters above them. 

The corridor opened into a large room full of cubicles and conversation. People moved around the room efficiently, all speaking rapidly in French and paying the group little mind. Two men waited near the reception desk, both with stony expressions on their faces. Newt immediately recognized Torquil Travers, but the other man was unfamiliar. 

“Monsieur Frederique,” Nicolas greeted the man as his hand met the tall, dark stranger in a handshake. He introduced Nagini and Kama as Travers nodded at Theseus in greeting before his eyes flitted from one Scamander brother to the other. He said nothing to Newt, turning instead to Tina.

“Miss Goldstein, I presume?”

“Yes, sir.” Tina stood tall, her posture and professional mask making her seem more confident and put together than she actually was. Newt felt a strong desire to protect her from this man and his cold stare, but he knew she would never allow him to step in front of her. She had to fight this fight on her own.

Travers hummed in acknowledgment before turning away from the group. “Very good, follow me.” Tina, Newt, and Theseus followed Travers around the outside of the room and down a narrow hallway before turning into a windowless conference room. It was dark and unforgiving with three chairs placed alongside the long, mahogany table. Travers seated himself on the other side of the table, his eyes still cold and his expression stony. Newt immediately felt closed in and his eyes flitted from Theseus to Tina before he took the middle seat between them. He felt on edge and the silence in the room was deafening. Running his fingers along the inner part of his sleeve, Newt concentrated on the roughness of the fabric as he found his center once again. He was panicking, not knowing what would happen next, and he couldn’t do that. Not now.

“Alright,” Travers looked between the three people before him and sighed in agitation, his thumb and middle finger of one hand rubbing along his temples and forehead. “I cannot say it’s good to see any of you in here today. Yesterday was…” He addressed Theseus, “quite poorly executed.” 

Travers stood up and began pacing, his face darkening with unshared feeling as he attempted to hold in his anger. “You are each here because you were involved in that botched up attempt to capture Grindelwald yesterday and happen to be the only survivors.” He looked around at the three of them before his eyes landed on Newt. “Some of you shouldn’t have even been in the country, much less at the rally. I...” Travers growled, his hands gripping the back of his chair before he ripped his eyes from Newt, who had kept eye contact throughout the exchange. Finally, he looked down at his shoes, wishing fervently that he had his case with him, even if it offered nothing more to him at the moment than something to hold in his hand. 

“Goldstein.”

“Yes, sir.” Tina watched Travers with a look of trepidation on her face. She was attempting to look strong and confident, but Newt could see her hand shaking slightly where it rested in her lap.

“I had urgent letters from both Auror Graves and President Picqurey about you and your involvement yesterday. Your case is quite unique, isn’t it?” He didn’t wait for her to answer, plunging forward with his speech. “You lost your job last year for attacking a muggle, somehow get it back because Newt Scamander, of all people, spoke up for you, then you spent six months on the Investigative Team before asking for an international project.” He paused for a moment, watching her, before continuing. “You are sent to Europe to track down the obscurus, apprehend him, kill him if necessary. You take a steamer to Cherbourg, track him through France, and end up in Paris.” 

Tina nodded, her posture losing some of the strength she had been using as her mask. “You found him, but rather than apprehend him you, what? Go to the circus a half dozen times to check on things, is that right?” Travers began pacing along the table in front of him. Before turning toward her again. 

“You didn’t complete your mission, Miss Goldstein. You failed rather spectacularly. In fact, you allowed your target, who has great destructive powers, to walk right into the hands of Grindelwald.” Tina’s eyes, which had remained locked on Travers despite his stinging words, lowered to look at the tabletop in front of her. Newt saw her jaw clench as she struggled to maintain control. Newt felt his own control slipping as he watched Tina.

“I don’t think that it’s-”

“Mr. Scamander, I would stay quiet if I were you. I have plenty to say to you as well, don’t make things worse.”

Newt narrowed his eyes but said nothing more. He looked over at Tina and saw her lower her head further but her eyes darted in his direction, just a bit. She must have been looking down at his hands, but the corner of her mouth lifted slightly. She knew what he had been trying to do. 

“MACUSA is not happy with you, Miss Goldstein. You failed your mission, you showed a lack of judgment, and you involved civilians in your casework. On top of it all, your sister, a MACUSA employee, followed you there to Paris where she joined Grindelwald’s forces as well.”

“Sir,” Theseus spoke up, his brow furrowed, “her sister’s actions are not Auror Goldstein’s responsibility.”

“Queenie Goldstein wouldn’t have been in Paris at all if it weren’t for her sister being there-”

“But, sir, that is still not Auror Goldstein’s responsibility. She was on assignment, her sister followed her to Europe of her own free will. This was not requested by Auror Goldstein and her sister’s misdoings should not be charged on her.”

“That may be, but her defection raises questions and concerns that affect multiple departments at MACUSA.” Travers stopped his pacing and addressed Theseus, “Someone who not only works for critical department heads but also lives with an Auror can collect important information over time, information that she can now deliver straight into Grindelwald’s hands.”

Tina’s eyes snapped to Travers’ as she addressed him in a stony tone, her voice wavering just slightly, “She wouldn’t do that. Queenie panicked, she didn’t know what she was doing.”

“We don’t know that, Miss Goldstein, and her defection will not be taken lightly. She is now a wanted criminal across several ministries of Europe as well as on American soil.”

“I- _what?!_” Tina had tears in her eyes now, her mask was breaking down bit by bit with each verbal blow she was dealt. She sat back in her chair, stunned and shaking as she stared at the wall in front of her.

“MACUSA would like you back in New York Monday morning for questioning and processing.”

“But I can’t go back yet, I…”

“It’s not a choice, Miss Goldstein, you are being sent back Sunday afternoon by the international floo network.” He looked at Tina squarely now, addressing her in a slightly softer tone, “MACUSA is not happy with you at the moment. They need your statement on several matters and your supervisors will be evaluating your latest case. Your passage from London to New York City has already been acquired by Director Graves.” Travers’ eyes shifted toward Theseus, “I’m sure your temporary supervisor can find you adequate accommodations until then.”

Newt saw a single tear trail down Tina’s cheek as she stared ahead at the dark wood grain of the table. She nodded in understanding, but she was no longer able to look up at Travers. Tina was breaking and Newt needed to show her that he was behind her. He had to. He slid one boot over to rest against hers under the table, one single point of contact. She looked up at him as a second tear escaped, but her face was unreadable. She showed no further emotion, but she kept her foot planted next to his own. He hoped with all he had that he was providing her with a small bit of the support she desperately needed.

Travers began pacing again, back and forth, for several moments while the two Scamanders watched him with building anger. His face lost all traces of the remaining friendliness he had tried to force for Tina’s sake and his movements showed his agitation. He looked at Newt as if he were a parasite, something that needed to be squashed.

“Mr. Scamander…”

Newt looked back at Travers, his expression, which he had intended to remain neutral, had morphed into a cloaked rage after his poor treatment of Tina. He could see Theseus’ rigid posture next to him and knew his brother was not faring much better. 

“Five times you came before our council to try and overturn your international travel ban. Five times you were told you were not to leave the country. _Five_, Mr. Scamander.” Travers planted his hands on the table and leaned, his eyes boring into Newt. “There was no way to misunderstand your situation. There is no way that you could have left the country and not known you were breaking several laws in the process.”

Tina’s head turned to look at Newt. This was all new information for her and Newt could see her making connections as he turned to look at her out of the corner of his eye.

“Mr. Travers, my brother may have been in Paris illegally, but he fought alongside my team of Aurors and walked away unscathed. He saved lives that night.” Theseus had leaned forward in his chair, his hand gripping the edge of the table as he addressed his boss.

“I don’t doubt that he is a talented wizard, Auror Scamander, I am addressing his complete lack of respect for laws. He’s a liability. He can’t be trusted.”

“_Trusted?_ He’s not working for you, Mr. Travers, you don’t need to trust him.” Newt could see Theseus straining to keep composure. 

“He’s working for Dumbledore, Auror Scamander.”

“Oh, that’s what this is about…” Theseus was seething now.

“Can I speak, please?” Newt, in an uncharacteristic move, stood up and addressed both Travers and his brother. A moment of silence passed before Travers leaned onto the table.

“What?”

“I have not worked for Dumbledore in the past, not knowingly.” Newt took a deep breath, his eyes locked on the lapel of Travers’ expensive suit coat. “I was banned from travel due to my involvement in New York, but that was not your motivation for keeping me in the country. I see that now.”

“My intentions for keeping you in Britain were to keep you out of international trouble, something you are notorious for attracting.”

“Your intentions were to keep me under your thumb so that I couldn’t help Dumbledore.” Newt squinted as he processed the thought out loud, half in anger, half in realization.

“Dumbledore can’t be trusted, Mr. Scamander.”

“A lot of people can’t be trusted, Mr. Travers, including people in your own department, as we very well learned yesterday.”

“You push too far, Mr. Scamander.”

Newt stepped back from the table, his legs bumping into the chair behind him and he sat down once more, his eyes flashing with anger and his jaw clenched. “What is to be my punishment this time, then?”

Travers leaned further toward Newt over the table, anger radiating from his form, “You left the country illegally, destroyed French Ministry property, broke into the French Records Room using a false identity, and attended a rally held by Grindelwald. I should have you tossed in Azkaban for all that you have done in the past 72 hours.” 

“Sir…”

“You will, obviously, not be going anywhere outside of Britain for the foreseeable future. In fact, I may restrict you to London.”

“So, no Azkaban?” Newt was asking with a raised eyebrow. He was resorting to quipped comments and sarcasm now, his only way to keep himself from either yelling or storming out. He was aware of Tina and Theseus on either side of him and he wasn’t about to resort to either response. At least not yet.

Travers sighed, annoyed. His hand came up to rub his face in agitation. “No, Mr. Scamander. Not yet.” Newt felt his shoulders relax just a bit, knowing he had evaded prison time for a crime that he found to be petty. “You got lucky here in Paris. You survived, somehow, and putting you in prison right now would not shed a positive light on the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Besides, I shudder to think of what would happen if your father found out I shipped you off.”

Newt scoffed. “Don’t bother worrying about my father. He doesn’t particularly care what happens to me.”

“_Newt._” Theseus’ head pivoted to stare at his brother, a look of surprise on his face. Newt raised an eyebrow and shrugged, his mannerisms showing his lack of worry for his father’s opinion. Theseus shook his head and turned back to Travers.

“What do you propose, then, Mr. Travers?”

“Your brother will be permanently banned from international travel, starting immediately.” Newt opened his mouth to comment, but Travers put one hand up to stop him from speaking. “You will begin reporting to the Ministry weekly to check in with a representative from our department. I want to know where you go and what you are doing. If you don’t comply, Mr. Scamander, you will be given admonitors to wear and your magic will be tracked as well. Is that clear?”

“Why?” Theseus interrupted, his eyes blazing. Newt could see his patience had worn thin and he was unraveling. “Why would you ban him from traveling permanently when he should have never been banned in the first place?”

“Auror Scamander…”

“No. You have some personal vendetta against Albus Dumbledore. I don’t know what it is, but my brother has been dragged into the middle of your problem.” Theseus was standing now. He gripped the edge of the table with one hand and the other was gesturing as he spoke. He pointed at Newt, “He should not have to be punished for your personal issue, just because he happens to have a friendly relationship with a former teacher. You have absolutely no proof that he has done anything against Ministry guidelines.”

Travers gestured at Newt as well, “He destroyed New York…”

It was then that Tina, who had remained quiet for most of the conversation, spoke up. “He _saved _New York. It was his work with creatures, his study of Swooping Evil venom, that allowed MACUSA to obliviate thousands of people across the city.” Tina looked over at Newt before continuing. “He saved us, our statute of secrecy. He may have broken a few rules along the way, but... our Congress is indebted to him for all he did.” her eyes then connected with Travers’, they were now free of tears and blazing, “He should have never been punished for single-handedly saving the wizarding community in the United States. That sounds a bit ridiculous to me.”

“Exactly.” Theseus looked at Newt and Tina before addressing Travers once more. “This has become your personal war against Dumbledore and we cannot afford to allow you to keep dragging innocent people into your issue.”

“Auror Scamander, that is enough.” Travers was now standing opposite of Theseus and both Newt and Tina watched as the two men began to lose what little patience they had left under stress.

“It wasn’t enough to drag Newt into this, but then you sent us into the lion’s den yesterday.”

“What do you mean, Scamander?”

“It was an ambush! It was completely unnecessary for us to go in there en masse like that. If we had integrated into the crowd, as I had advised, and not put ourselves on display, we could have apparated out of there alive and had a basic plan for the next rally. Instead…” Theseus took a deep breath, his emotions bubbling to the surface. “Instead, eighteen people died yesterday and four panicked and ran into the flames.”

“Those deaths were _not _my responsibility, Auror Scamander. You don’t know that your plan would have worked any better than mine.”

“It _would _have. We ended up being exactly what he said we were. Murderers! The moment one of our men got spooked and pulled out his wand, it was all over.”

“Nevertheless, it was…” Travers paused, and Theseus seized the opportunity to continue.

“Those men had wives, children. My _fiance_ died, Mr. Travers.” Theseus’ palm came down hard on the tabletop causing both Newt and Tina to jump in their seats. Angry tears began streaming down his face. “Leta was destroyed right in front of me. She was just..._gone_. Because the plan was weak and fueled by your bullheaded hatred for a man who was not even there.”

“Leta should have never been there that night, she was reckless going in there.”

Newt jumped up now to stand next to his brother, “Leta saved our lives yesterday!_ None_ of us would have made it out of there if she hadn’t sacrificed herself. She saved us. She saved Paris.”

Tina stood silently, standing tall next to Newt, a united front against Travers.

He looked across at the three stony-faced people standing across the table from him. Several moments of silence passed, the only sound that of Theseus’ heavy breathing as he forced himself to regain his control.

Theseus leaned on the table, his eyes connecting defiantly with Travers’. “I realize you are my superior, and I realize you have the ability to sack me here and now, but you must realize that we lost the majority of our Auror team and you need me right now. I- I will do what I can to make this right for those men’s families, as right as we can possibly make it, and I expect you to do the same.” He straightened his posture, continuing to look across at his boss. “I will be taking this issue up with Minister Fawley when we arrive back in London.” Travers scoffed but remained silent. “I will personally rewrite the Auror training protocols. Henceforth, there will be no more killing curse used. We- we are what he says we are...and that needs to end now.” 

Newt watched as his brother took a deep breath before squaring himself in front of his supervisor and delivering his last statement. “Those involved at Pere Lachaise will also be going to Hogwarts to meet with Professor Dumbledore when we are back in the country.” Travers opened his mouth to reply, but as he had done to Newt, Theseus held up a hand to silence him. “No. Dumbledore was right about Grindelwald. He may have his own agenda in this, but his intimate knowledge of Grindelwald will only help us right now.” Theseus seethed. “I _will not_ let your hatred of the man doom us.” He looked down at his brother and then over to Tina before looking once more at Travers. “We’re finished here. We will see you at the portkey.” 

Turning on his heel, Theseus shoved the door open and strode out of the room. Newt looked between a stunned and angry Travers and Tina before he also stood. Tina followed him as they both silently left the room, and Travers, behind them. 

The hallway was bright after several minutes inside the dim conference room and Newt squinted as he watched his brother walking quickly down the hallway. “Theseus. _Theseus! _Stop.” Newt set out after his brother at a quick pace, Tina right behind him maintaining a slow jog to keep up. Theseus stopped walking but continued facing away from his brother who was hurrying to catch up, his boots squeaking slightly against the polished floors. 

“Are you alright?” Newt asked as he neared his brother. Theseus turned around, his eyes red and his face drawn and tired. He sighed deeply and turned away from Newt and Tina, looking down the hallway before chuckling darkly.

“No, that was bloody awful. I’m...I have things to do. I need to organize the portkey for this afternoon and give our statement to the French Ministry.”

Newt took a step closer to his brother, causing him to pause. “You need to _rest_, Thes. You went through Hell yesterday.”

“I am aware.”

“I’m just saying that you’re-- well, you need to make sure to take care of yourself. You’re no good to anybody if you are knackered beyond belief.” Newt took in his brother’s face and sighed. “I know you don’t make a habit of listening to me, but...this time I’m right. Do what you need to do then come straight back to Flamel’s, alright?”

Theseus nodded, the corner of his mouth quirked in acknowledgment and his eyes finally connected with Newt’s. “I will. As soon as I can, I promise.”

“Right. Good.” Newt, not expecting Theseus’ immediate agreement, found himself at a loss for words. 

“I’ll see you back at Flamel’s, then.” Theseus looked between Newt and Tina, then with a nod, he turned on his heel and strode down the hallway without another word.

Newt and Tina stood quietly for a moment, watching Theseus stride down the hallway and turn the corner to the atrium. Newt cleared his throat and glanced at Tina. “Well, um…”

“I guess we go back to Flamel’s then.”

“Yeah. I guess so.” Newt shrugged and the corners of his mouth lifted into a small smile. 

“So,” Tina addressed Newt with a coy smile, “a travel ban?” Newt chuckled and shook his head as he began to tell her of his several failed attempts to leave the country, their feet leading them to the exit as Tina listened to his tale.

*****

Several hours later, as the late morning sun began to darken into a hazy afternoon, Newt and Tina were sitting on the front steps of the Flamel home. Jacob had shoved an old, beaten leather crate to the end of the bench under the front window to join them. All three were far from relaxed, but the early afternoon sunshine was refreshing after hours inside the dusty old house. 

“So, what? They’re gonna send you back this weekend? That hardly seems like a good idea.” Jacob was trying to gather as much as he could from them following their interviews and was leaning over onto a barrel, his chin propped on one hand. His posture had relaxed only slightly when his friends had revealed to him that MACUSA did not know he was in Europe.

“I know, but with Queenie, I...I assume that it will get _very_ complicated.” Tina spoke toward the ground, her brows furrowed and her hands clasped in her lap. “I wasn’t exactly following orders either. I’m in enough trouble myself but, with her actions added,…” She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, which was slightly wavy in the humidity of the afternoon. “They will assume that I knew about her allegiance, that I could be a threat. After what happened with Graves last year, and Abernathy earlier this summer, they have been so paranoid about anything suspicious.”

Newt sat up straighter and turned to look at her, his elbows resting on his knees. “Will you be alright, Tina? When you get to New York?”

Tina sighed and chuckled, “Honestly? I don’t know. I don’t think I’ll end up in jail or anything, I didn’t do anything completely wrong, but I will probably lose my job. Again.”

“What? How?” Newt looked at Tina, concerned.

“I, well...I went a little rogue with my mission. I was sent to Paris to find Credence. To _kill _him.” Tina looked up at Newt as she lowered her voice to a sharp whisper, her eyes blazing. “I couldn’t do that. Never. I left MACUSA with my orders and no intention of ever following them.”

“Wait, so you just hitched a ride from MACUSA and went off on your own mission?” Jacob laughed as he shook his head. “I didn’t know you had it in ya, Teen.”

“Something like that.” Tina smiled at Jacob, “I don’t know if you could call it going rogue, but… it’s close enough to make MACUSA very angry.”

“Brilliant.” Tina’s gaze caught Newts as he looked at her proudly. She smiled at him, aware of how much meaning his one word had held.

“So, I guess I’ll be looking for another job now. I’ll have to get something because I will have rent to pay. I’ll probably have to move because...Queenie…” Tina shrugged, the smile slipping from her face. “I will have to deal with all of that later. For now…”

“We focus on figuring out what’s next.” Newt turned his body to face Tina and Jacob. 

“Right.” Jacob nodded as they all heard a pop inside the house, the sound of apparition. Jacob stood up and peered in the grimy window pane above his head. “Theseus is back. Should we go inside?”

“Yeah.” Newt stood up from the low step with a grunt, feeling his joints protesting, and dusted off his trousers with both hands, “We should probably hear whatever news he has gathered.”

Once inside the house, their eyes slowly adjusted to the dim, dusty light. Theseus was standing with Nicolas in the middle of the room, his arms were crossed across his chest and he was leaning toward Nicolas, speaking in a low tone that Newt could not hear. Nagini was huddled on the red settee with Perenelle while Yusuf was leaning against the aged kitchen table with its mismatched chairs. His hands were clasped in front of him, his wand gripped tightly, and his posture appeared stoic as he observed the room. 

Newt caught his brother’s eye as the door opened and light streamed into the cluttered room. Theseus excused himself from his brief conversation with Nicolas and began crossing the room toward the trio. He wordlessly beckoned them back outside with one hand and made his way past them and onto the front steps. Tina raised her eyebrows as she looked at Newt and he shrugged, their silent conversation causing them both to smile. They turned and followed Jacob, who had held the door open for Theseus.

Theseus squinted in the hazy sunshine as he turned around to look at Newt, Tina, and Jacob who had gathered around him. “What’s going on, Theseus?” Newt asked him, taking in his exhausted appearance. His face was drawn and his grey suit, usually clean and neatly pressed, was wrinkled and worn. Theseus ran a hand down his face, wrapping his fingers around his chin where two days’ worth of facial hair had grown in.

“We are going back to England in,” Theseus paused as he pulled out his pocket watch and opened it with a click, “forty minutes. I’ve arranged for a portkey that will take us straight to Hogwarts. We need to speak to Dumbledore.”

Newt scoffed and shook his head. “I’m sure Travers was thrilled about that decision.”

“He was outvoted.” Theseus placed his silver watch back in the pocket of his waistcoat and tucked his thumb into the pocket as he fidgeted with the chain. “Spielman agreed with me, we need to go. We need to get to the bottom of their relationship and, now that we know about the blood pact or whatever it happens to be, we need to find out what Dumbledore knows.”

“I’m not sure how much he’ll give us. You know how he can be.” Tina watched Newt as he shook his head, somewhat annoyed. “He sidesteps facts and directs conversations to serve his own agenda. He-” Newt sighed in frustration, “I’m not very happy with him at the moment. He has been trying to use my skills and...and my creatures for months. I keep refusing and yet, here I am. In Paris. Just where he wanted me.”

“And that right there is why we need to go talk to him. Travers doesn’t know about the blood pact, I don’t want him forcing it into Ministry hands just yet.” Theseus looked at Newt pointedly, his eyes connecting with his brother’s in a request for honesty. “Do you trust him?”

Newt lifted one hand to his hair, his fingers snaking into his curls and pulling softly in agitation as he thought. “No, not fully. I owe the man a lot but have been wary of his intentions when it comes to Grindelwald. He uses people to fight his battles for him, but...I do think he’s on our side, even if his fight doesn’t look the same as ours.”

“Alright.” Theseus’ gaze shifted to Tina. “I was hoping you may know more than I do about blood pacts, Miss Goldstein. I only know the basics. Once we know what we are dealing with, we can come up with a plan.”

“Oh, um, yes. They are blood oaths between two or more people. The one we have is between two, there are two drops swirling at the core. I don’t particularly know how they are made, but there are a few different ways, all requiring powerful magic from all parties.” She paused, thinking, her lip between her teeth. “I think I remember something about the design being important, but I can’t recall why. That’s...all I’ve got.”

“Perfect, thank you.” Theseus sat on the bench and the rest relaxed, sitting or leaning along the front of the stone house. “We know that Dumbledore and Grindelwald were, how would you say? Intimately close?”

“What do you mean?” Jacob asked, looking confused as he tried to follow the conversation. Newt grinned.

“They were involved with each other. Romantically.”

Theseus jumped in, addressing Jacob, “It’s kind of universally known around the Ministry but nobody really talks about it. It was a long time ago when they were just out of school.” 

“Oh.” Jacob’s eyebrows raised. “Well, I didn’t expect that...”

“Well, we can assume that the pact was most likely between Grindelwald and Dumbledore, though what they promised each other remains unknown.” Theseus stared out at the street, his brows furrowed as he thought the scenario through.

“Dumbledore moves people around like pawns, right?” Newt said, equally deep in thought as he absentmindedly picked at his cuticles, “and Grindelwald has never made an attempt to go after Dumbledore, even though he fears him more than anybody.”

“How do you know that?” Theseus asked, his eyes swinging toward his brother.

“Dumbledore told me. Anyway, what if they have not made any attempts to attack each other because they _can’t_?”

“They swore not to fight, so they have to use other people to do it for them.” Tina’s eyes widened as the story came together in her mind.

“Exactly!” Newt checked his watch and stood, seeing that he only had 30 minutes to prep his creatures for travel and retrieve the blood pact from his drawer. “I need to prepare my creatures before we go.”

“Will you speak with him first, brother?” Theseus looked up at Newt, his eyes squinting at the glare of the windows of the building next door. “When we get to Hogwarts? He trusts you most, and we need him on our side.”

“Yes. I can do that.” Newt climbed the stairs and, with a closed-lipped smile, he opened the heavy wooden door and slipped inside.

“Miss Goldstein,” Theseus addressed Tina, “I have not had the chance to inquire about a place for you to stay until this weekend. I will make sure to help you with that once we reach London. I am assuming Jacob is staying with Newt?” The statement came out as a question, and Jacob nodded in confirmation.”

Tina smiled up at Theseus from her position on the stairs. “I appreciate that. Thank you, Mr. Scamander.”

“Theseus. Call me Theseus.” He laughed openly for the first time as he processed his interactions with Tina up to this point. “You’ve tied me up and seen me cry, I think that puts us on a first-name basis, don’t you think?”

“Wait, what?” Jacob looked between Theseus and Tina, his brows furrowed into a look of confusion.

Tina laughed, “I’ll tell you all about it later, I promise. Maybe I’ll let Newt tell it, it might be his new favorite story.”

Theseus groaned. “You may tell Jacob here, only because I know my brother will anyway, but that’s it. It never makes it back to the Ministry, got it, Miss Goldstein?”

“Got it,” she said with a laugh, “and call me Tina.”


	6. Sacred Scenes Unfold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, friends! I'm back! I have had a vacation, hours of professional development so I can teach online, momming a toddler, and a nasty case of writer's block, but I'm back with a new chapter. I think I just needed to get over a hump. Once I did, the words flowed. I will try to keep that up! Fingers crossed!
> 
> Enjoy Hogwarts. ;-)
> 
> As always, thanks to my dear [@hidetheteaspoons ](https://hidetheteaspoons.tumblr.com/) for reading through this chapter and making sure I don't make a fool of myself. <3

Chapter 6: Memories

“Precious memories, how they linger, how they ever flood my soul.

In the stillness of the midnight, precious, sacred scenes unfold.”

-Precious Memories (Bob Dylan)

\----------------------------------

The beginnings of a beautiful, hazy sunset were just starting to show in the west as the group popped into existence at the gates of Hogwarts. Tina’s fingers were gripping tightly around the spout of the chipped, blue teapot and her other arm was wrapped tightly around Nagini’s waist. As soon as they hit the ground, Nagini lost her footing and would have toppled to the ground if it weren’t for the support from Tina’s arm.

“I’ve got ya,” Tina said with a grunt, hauling a weak Nagini to her feet again, steadying her with her other hand once she was sure it was safe to let go. “Portkeys are pretty terrible over short distances, international portkeys are awful. You okay?”

Nagini was pale, her eyes were closed tightly and her fingers flew to her temples as she pushed down thoughts of nausea. “Ugh, no.” Tina laughed lightly, rubbing her back soothingly. “I don’t want to ever do that again.”

“I don’t blame you,” Tina replied with a smile. “I threw up my first time. You’re already doing better than I did. Walk around a bit, find your center. It helps a lot.” Nagini nodded, straightening her posture and, still pale, began to walk down the viaduct toward where Newt, Theseus, and Jacob stood to the side to wait for the rest of the ministry officials. Jacob was also looking particularly pale, while Newt, who was quite familiar with portkeys due to his travels, looked mostly unaffected. Tina followed behind Nagini, her eyes swinging toward the massive castle before her. 

Tina’s first thought was of the sheer size of the building. The towering, sandstone castle was situated atop a steep, rocky hill with a lake visible in the valley below. There was green as far as she could see; grass, trees, flowers, and mosses danced across the valley to create a beautiful tapestry of color. Majestic, silvery mountains stood behind her, their lofty faces diving sharply into the large lake that pooled below them. 

The wind swept across the bridge and Tina’s short bob fluttered back from her face. There was a biting chill in the air here, it was much colder than Paris had been. Tina reminded herself just how far north they had traveled as she saw Yusuf offer his woolen overcoat to Nagini who was still wearing only her blue circus costume. 

Tina placed her palms on the stone barrier along the side of the bridge and looked over the grounds of the school by which her own alma mater had been inspired. In a strange way, Hogwarts felt a bit like home. Tina assumed it was the familiarity; her own school had caused her heart to flutter as she felt the similar hum of magic that lived within, and the realization caused her heart to warm at the sight before her. 

“Well?”

Tina looked away from the Hogwarts grounds and turned to watch Newt walking toward her, his suitcase bumping lazily against his leg as he walked. His wild curls were blowing in the breeze and, with the lift from the wind, his face was fully visible to her. She met his eyes briefly before looking back toward the grounds.

“It’s beautiful.” Tina knew Newt was grinning beside her. “I never knew a place could be so...green. It’s lovely.”

“It is,” he replied, crossing his arms and leaning against the barrier. His case rested on the stone pathway next to his feet. “No matter how long I’ve been away it still feels like coming home.” The Niffler, not enjoying the position he was placed in when Newt leaned against the stone, squeezed himself out of Newt’s expanded inner coat pocket and crawled out onto the top of the barrier.

Tina smiled as she mimicked Newt’s posture and relaxed her elbows against the cool stone, two fingers extending to scratch at the Niffler’s chin. “How long has it been?” Tina looked toward Newt who kept his eyes trained on the tree-lined horizon. “Since you’ve been here, I mean?” Newt’s brow furrowed slightly and his eyes flickered toward the stone castle and then briefly toward Tina before they focused down toward the ravine below them as he thought. 

“Thirteen years. Almost to the day, actually.”

Tina’s eyebrows lifted in surprise as she watched his profile. His face did not display his emotions, he was holding something in, but she heard it as his voice hitched. Pain? Anger? Regret? “That’s a long time,” Tina said, her eyes watching him. She could tell he knew she was observing him, but he kept his gaze away from hers. One hand absently reached up to run through the hair on the back of his head as he formed his response.

“It’s complicated.”

“Ahh.”

A silence settled over them for a few moments as they both looked out onto the grounds. Tina observed several students on broomsticks playing a game in an arena of some kind in the distance. “Is that Quidditch?” Tina asked, lifting her hand and gesturing toward the students in the distance. Newt followed her sightline and then turned his head around to face her.

“You’ve never seen Quidditch?!” 

“No! Broomsticks were pretty rare at Ilvermorny and Quidditch isn’t very popular in America. I know of it but I’ve never watched a match. We played Quadpot, usually.”

“Huh. Interesting,” Newt said as he looked back at the students playing in the distance. “I may have to teach you. Have you _ever _ridden a broom?”

Tina laughed, raising one hand to run over the silky fur of the Niffler, “Nope.” Newt smiled in response as they both heard the_ pop _of the second portkey behind them. 

“You’re missing out. I’ll definitely have to teach you, then.”

“I would love that,” Tina replied with a smile, pushing herself off the barrier and turning toward their party, the Niffler in her arms. Newt retrieved his case and followed behind her, the discussion between Travers and Theseus becoming clearer as they got closer to the crowd. Newt took the creature from her, despite his squeaks of protest, and redeposited him into the pocket inside his woolen overcoat. 

“I really don’t think that is wise, Theseus.” Tina could hear Travers speaking heatedly to Theseus as they neared. Theseus’ face was stony and he looked frustrated and exhausted. 

“My brother is returning something that belongs to Dumbledore, and therefore he will be going first to debrief.” Theseus checked over his shoulder to see Newt standing on the edge of the group. “I plan to stay back. We can join the two of them inside the castle.”

“Something that belongs to him?” Travers looked toward Newt and Tina who had joined the group. “What do you have?” Newt’s hand automatically came to rest on the lower front pocket of his waistcoat. Tina assumed that he had the blood pact tucked away inside. Spielman leaned in to speak to Travers who turned away from the group in frustration.

As the minutes ticked closer to his meeting, Newt seemed to become tenser. With the arrival of Travers and Spielman, his mood had soured and the last traces of their previous bantering camaraderie had vanished. Tina wondered if his arrival back at Hogwarts was stirring some long-suppressed emotions that he had tried to shut down long ago. He tended to let his emotions show, but Tina supposed that might not have always been the case. She wondered to herself, once again, what had happened here all those years ago.

The group stood silently as their planned meeting time arrived. Tina stood beside Theseus and Newt was turned toward them with his back to the viaduct. He was staring at a point somewhere over Theseus’ shoulder, his mind seemed to be elsewhere. He continued to toy with the blood pact through the fabric of his waistcoat. Tina, who had been watching him, reached out a tentative hand and rested it on his forearm, just above where he gripped his case tightly. He blinked, then turned his head to look at Tina. She smiled at him, her lips closed, as if to offer support and not knowing how. He returned her tight smile with one of his own before he cast his eyes downward. Tina released her light grip on the arm of his coat just as Theseus seemed to shift next to her.

“He’s coming.”

Newt turned his back to Tina and Theseus, standing ready, as the man that must be Albus Dumbledore made his way down the castle stairs and walked briskly toward them. Tina saw Newt take a deep breath, the shoulders of his coat raising and lowering before he began to walk toward his former teacher. 

A moment later, Travers began to follow behind Newt toward Dumbledore. Theseus turned in his direction, blocking his supervisor’s movement with a brush of his shoulder. “I think it’s best if he speaks to him alone.” Tina could hear Travers huff in agitation, but he said nothing as he watched Newt walk away. 

They could hear nothing that passed between the two men, though Dumbledore eventually raised his arms above his head. The arms of his jacket were pulled down with the action and a shining admonitor was revealed on each of his wrists. Tina watched as Theseus wordlessly spun his wand to release the metal bracelets which fell to the ground at Dumbledore’s feet. Tina, who had been subjected to admonitors after her own misstep in New York, rubbed her wrist absentmindedly where her own admonitor had once rested. She knew the relief of those bracelets releasing, the freeing feeling that came with it.

Eventually, the two men turned toward the castle and, with the Niffler bounding along the stone pathway ahead of them, they walked away from the rest of the group and into the castle. Nobody spoke. Several moments passed before Spielman, who was now standing beside Tina, spoke up and said the words that every member of the group was most likely thinking.

“Now what?”

Theseus snorted lightly and shook his head. “I guess we follow. We can wait for our turns in the Great Hall.” He pulled out his glinting pocket watch to check the time. “Dinner hour is nearly finished and it will clear out soon.”

“Are we all to be interviewed?” Yusuf spoke up from Tina’s right, he had remained mostly silent since their arrival. “Perhaps it would be better if we went in small groups? The sun is setting and I would like to find accommodations for the night.”

“Absolutely,” Theseus said, nodding his head in agreement, “I agree with you. That would be best. We can figure that out once we get inside and see Dumbledore.” Yusuf nodded as Travers began to walk toward the castle without a word. Theseus followed, looking at Tina out of the corner of his eye, quite obviously annoyed. Tina chuckled to herself as she tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear and began walking. She turned around to make sure Jacob was behind her. He still seemed pale and in shock, but whether it was the portkey, the loss of Queenie, or a heavy dose of both, she wasn’t sure.

“You okay?” She asked as she dropped back to fall into step with him at the back of the group.

Jacob shook his head. “Nope.” He cast his eyes up to the tall towers of the school. “I just thought that if I ever saw a magical school, it would be with Queenie...and not ‘cause we lost her.” He closed his eyes, pain etched across his face. “It just doesn’t seem...right. None of this does.”

Tina sighed, tears prickling in the corners of her eyes. “I know what you mean.” She hastily wiped any traces of tears away before she placed a comforting hand on Jacob’s shoulder for a moment as they walked, a silent showing of solidarity between them.

*****

The Great Hall was massive. Tina felt the magic in the air around her, ancient spells and centuries of history lived within the stone walls. The ceiling had been charmed to look like the night sky and the stars were blinking coldly above their heads where they were settled within their familiar constellations. Though she stood in a circle with the rest of the party, she couldn’t help but glance up to watch the light clouds float across the sky above them. 

Small groups of students who had stayed in the room to study after dinner glanced at their group with looks of curiosity and whispers. It wasn’t often that a swarm of ragged adults ended up in the school on a Thursday evening. After several minutes of waiting, Theseus welcomed a regal-looking wizard to their circle with a firm handshake.

The wizard, introduced as Headmaster Armondo Dippet, was tall, mostly bald, and had sharp brown eyes that stood out in contrast to his frail body. He was very thin, almost knobbly, and several wisps of white hair stood out from his balding head. His white beard flowed down from his chin and across his chest where it came to a neatly groomed point. Professor Dippet greeted Theseus and Travers warmly before he observed the newcomers in the circle with a single raised eyebrow.

“Whenever there is trouble, why am I not surprised to find a Scamander involved?” the man asked in a gruff voice, the corner of his mouth curving upward in what must have been slight amusement. 

“This time you get both of us. Newt is with Professor Dumbledore right now.”

“Hmm,” Dippet acknowledged. He did not seem to hold the same regard for the younger brother as he did for the older. He turned toward Travers and gestured with a wrinkled hand for him to follow. “I’ll take you to the staff commons. Fewer curious, young eyes there.”

As Dippet led Travers down the corridor, the rest of the group following in his wake, Newt was walking down the corridor toward them. Theseus called out to him to let him know where the group was going, but Newt declined to follow and told his brother that he needed some air. He continued down the corridor, stone-faced, with only a brief glance at Tina and Jacob as he passed. His footfalls faded as he continued away from the group. Tina glanced behind her only to see him duck into a corridor to the left and out of sight. She sighed deeply, blowing a puff of air from between her lips. Jacob glanced up at her but said nothing.

He had to be angry, Tina decided, and she didn’t blame him at all. She didn’t know much about Albus Dumbledore, but from what she had been able to gather she realized he was a taker in every sense of the word. Newt, who would give anything to help out a person he cared for, had been used. Tina wasn’t sure Newt himself knew how long Dumbledore had been calling on his expertise to further his aims, but it had to have been a long time. Now Leta was dead and he was stuck on British soil. Of course, he was angry. They all were.

The small, tired crowd walked through a heavy, wooden door that led to a spacious common room. The plush couches and lightly patterned armchairs were situated in a circle that was most likely organized for faculty meetings. There was a roaring fire in a large hearth that was surrounded by rough-looking grey stones that rose to the ceiling. The windowsills were adorned with greenery and several bookcases lined the walls, filled floor to rafters with books of every size and color. The room was mismatched, but it was warm and cozy. The travelers immediately strode to the furniture and sank into the cushions. 

Each group left the common room to meet with Dumbledore before returning weary-eyed and drained. Following the longer debrief with Theseus, Travers, and Spielman, Tina and Jacob found themselves being ushered down the rapidly darkening corridor toward his office by a perky house elf wearing a tattered, purple bedsheet who went by the name of Jingles. 

Dumbledore was not the man she expected to see. She had seen him from a distance, but the various descriptions of his character had not prepared her for the defeated man that sat before them. He was attractive enough and had a certain magical flair about him that was unique, but his eyes were tired and the smile he flashed them as he stood to welcome them into the office was forced. This was a man who had been tried and troubled repeatedly, a man who carried far too much weight on his shoulders. 

“Welcome to Hogwarts Mr. Kowalski, Ms. Goldstein.” He nodded his head at each in turn as he invited them to sit in two chairs that had been placed in the corner of the room. Dumbledore sat down at one of the student desks across from them where he had rested a leather-bound notebook and an elegant purple quill.

“Thank you for having us here, Mr. Dumbledore, sir,” Jacob said as he spoke up for the first time since arriving at the castle. His posture had straightened and, whether he had caught his second wind or whether he was acting a part, Tina wasn’t yet sure. 

“I’ve heard much about each of you from Newt, I’m glad you agreed to meet with me this evening.” Dumbledore’s eyes locked onto Tina and she felt like she was being studied, observed, sized up for her worth. She looked away and watched Jacob instead, feeling slightly uncomfortable.

“Can you tell me what your experience was in France? How did you end up there and what led you to the rally at Pere Lachaise?” Dumbledore’s eyes were on Jacob as he stated the question, and, with a deep breath, the stout man began telling his tale. Tina listened carefully as he told them about Queenie bringing him to England to stay with Newt until they could be married, Newt’s removal of the enchantment, and how Queenie had run from him as soon as he had told her he didn’t want to get married.

Tina’s eyes filled with tears as she watched Jacob, unable to tear her eyes away from him. How could Queenie be so reckless, so selfish? _How could she do this to him? _Her baby sister, who had wanted a husband and family for as long as she had been able to talk about that dream, had gone above the law and enchanted someone in order to force them to marry her. To fulfill her wants and needs at the expense of Jacob’s wishes and well being. Tina's throat felt like it was closing as she thought about it. She couldn’t believe her own sister would do something so universally unacceptable. It was terrible, _unforgivable_… 

Tina felt Jacob’s hand on her shoulder and she realized she had made a choking sound as she tried to bury her tears of sadness and frustration. “Teen, it’s okay.” Tears spilled down her cheeks as she looked up at the man who she considered the only family she had left. The man she would have gladly seen her sister marry if it hadn’t meant a possible future of jail, obliviation, and a broken family. 

“No, it’s not okay. I can’t believe she-”

A sob caught in her throat as she put a fist to her lips, willing the emotional torrent to subside. She could still feel Jacob’s hand on her shoulder, firm and solid as she willed herself to calm down.

“Mr. Kowalski?” a soft voice interrupted, “what happened after you and Newt realized where Queenie had gone?” Jacob’s eyes refocused on Dumbledore as he started telling him about their travels to the Cliffs of Dover and into Paris by portkey. He described the process of tracking footprints with a Niffler before meeting Yusuf Kama and being led to the sewers where they had finally found Tina. 

Having calmed, and after wiping all traces of tears from her face with her sleeve, Tina had been following the story with wonder as she watched Jacob tell Dumbledore each step animatedly. She could picture their journey in her mind’s eye and smiled as he described how Newt had found her tracking image and followed a feather to eventually track her down. Dumbledore, with a knowing grin, looked over at her and she felt her grow warm as she looked down at her lap and took a deep breath, trying to regain her professional air before joining Jacob in telling her side of things as they had made their way through Paris together. 

The professor’s face was unreadable as he furiously took notes on their experiences. He asked Tina, several times, about her experience as an Auror and was surprised that she had knowledge of blood pacts. He asked several questions about Queenie and Tina’s guilt, as she told the man of her sister’s legilimency, felt like a solid pressure on her chest. She swallowed thickly and pushed the feeling aside as she watched the man write down their family secret. If it helped her to get her sister back, then it would be worth the world knowing. It wouldn’t be a secret for long, anyway, now that she was with Grindelwald. Tina shuddered at the thought and took a deep breath as Dumbledore asked Jacob a few more questions about his experiences prior to meeting Queenie. 

Tina was happy to see the meeting end as she shook Dumbledore’s hand stiffly and made her way to the door. She felt claustrophobic and wanted some fresh air. Theseus was waiting outside the door of the office, leaning against the wall and nursing a glass of something that looked like brandy.

“Newt’s out on the bridge if you want to talk to him. I can take you both there if you’d like.”

Jacob glanced at Tina before looking up at Theseus. “I think I’d like to sit and have a drink if you don’t mind.” 

Theseus nodded and began to tell Tina the way back to the Great Hall. “Turn into the room and walk along the left side. There will be a door almost at the end of the room. If you open that and walk through the small courtyard, you will probably find him there.”

Tina thanked him as she turned and nervously started walking through the ancient halls. The building seemed alive and she found herself aware of movements all around her. A staircase above her head began to move with a deep scraping sound and she looked upward just in time to see it settle onto another landing with a thunderous bang that reverberated through the cavernous space above her.

After a few minutes of walking and following Theseus’ clear directions, Tina found herself at the base of a giant staircase and opened the now-familiar wooden doors into the Great Hall. She made her way past a blazing fire in the hearth along the edge of the room and through a door to the courtyard. Fragrant flowers grew in pots along the edges of the small, outdoor area and she took a deep breath of cool air. The scent of earth and blooms calmed her as she walked.

Tina passed through an ancient stone archway and onto a covered bridge. There were domed windows along each side looking out over the ravine below. The setting sun was casting an orange glow over the landscape while leaving the path before her dark with shadows. Newt was sitting on the ledge of one of the arches about halfway down the deserted walkway. His back was to her and his feet were dangling out over the rocky terrain below. His case lay on the dusty walkway, leaning against the stone pillar at his side.

In an effort to let him know of her presence, she tried to shuffle her feet a bit to announce her presence. She didn’t want to startle him, especially after what they had all been through over the past few days. Her deliberate heel clicks sounded obnoxious in the stillness, but she knew the moment Newt finally heard her as she walked closer. His back stiffened visibly, but he didn’t turn toward her.

“Newt?”

His head turned toward her in surprise, Tina could tell that he hadn’t expected the steps to belong to her. His eyes were bright as if he had been crying, but there were no traces of tears on his face now. His hair fluttered in the wind and his face was a contrast of highlights and shadows, a product of the orange sunset before him.

“Tina!” He turned his body to look at her, his green eyes meeting her own. “Is everything alright? I didn’t expect to see you out here.”

Tina smiled and arched a single eyebrow at him. “I think I should be the one asking _you_ that. I’m not currently dangling over a ravine.”

Newt chuckled and shook his head, his gaze breaking away from Tina and down to the rocks below. “I’ve sat here many times over the years and never fallen.” He looked up at Tina who had inched closer to him and stood at his side. She placed her slim fingers on the stone ledge of the window next to his and looked out over the grounds. “Besides, you’d never make it all the way down. There is a rebound charm field about seven feet below us.”

Tina looked questioningly at Newt and he reached his hand into his coat pocket and produced a large seed from the recesses of the grey garment draped over the ledge at his side. He grinned at her, his eyes not quite meeting her own, as he tossed the seed straight down. About two seconds later the seed flung straight back up and Newt caught it easily in his hand.

“See? You’d never make it down there if you fell. It would toss you straight back up onto the bridge.” He tossed the seed down and caught it again with practiced ease. “I’ve never tested it, of course, but in theory, it should work.”

Tina laughed as she held her hand out and Newt placed the seed in her palm. She threw the seed straight down and waited as it flew back up and she caught it in her hand. “Hogwarts is full of surprises, isn’t it.”

“You have no idea.”

Tina giggled as she leaned on the ledge. Her hair lifted off her face and the cool air felt refreshing as it blew past her gently. “There must be so many quirks to this castle after so many centuries. You can just feel it...the magic. It runs so much deeper here than at Ilvermorny.”

“I can imagine,” Newt replied, leaning back against the pillar at his side so he could see Tina more clearly. “Ilvermorny will be the same in time, I imagine.”

“Probably.” Tina played with her locket which she had retrieved from inside her blouse while sitting in the staff common room, a habit that she had picked up over the years. Feeling the worn, silver chain run through her fingers calmed her as she stared out at the grounds. “It’s so pretty here. I wasn’t expecting it to be in the mountains.”

“It is that. We used to sit here and toss rocks, quills...whatever we had in our pockets...and watch quidditch practices.”

“You and Leta?” Tina said her name softly, not knowing how he would react. Newt’s head drooped slightly and he looked out toward the horizon with an unreadable expression.

“Yeah.”

“Are you okay? Truly?” 

Newt looked back at Tina, his eyes softening. “I will be. It’s still-- It’s still raw, and being here brings back a lot of memories.” His shoulders tensed and Tina watched as he seemed to be searching for the right words to say. Tina wanted to apologize for bringing Leta’s name into the conversation, but before she could open her mouth, Newt began speaking softly. “I’m angry. I should be sad, but... I’m angry at Dumbledore for putting us in this position. I’m angry with Grindelwald. I’m angry with Leta for walking in there, even though we would probably all be dead if it weren’t for her. I’m angry at myself for the way I’m reacting to everything.” He swallowed and took in a deep breath as he leaned his head back against the cool stone. “Being here is harder than I thought it would be. I- well, I didn’t part from here on good terms, and there are reminders of her everywhere.”

“I’m sorry.” Tina’s eyes had clouded over as she listened to Newt speak. She had rarely seen him this vulnerable and, while she appreciated him opening up to her, her body felt tense as she attempted to force down the jealousy she still held. He had told her that there was nothing there between Leta and him, but she could tell that he had loved her, in some capacity, at some point in his life. 

Newt smiled as he looked back at her. “You know what is the strangest part of all of this?” He continued on without waiting for an answer, “I am mourning the girl she was years ago when we were friends, not the woman she is now. Or...was, I guess.” He looked down at his hands where he picked at his fingernails absently. “I didn’t even know her anymore. I want to support Theseus because he’s my brother, and he and I are the two people who knew her best, but I don’t know _how_ to do that because, well… because we knew two very different parts of her.”

“I think…” Tina began softly, “I kind of understand that feeling. That’s how I am feeling with Jacob and Queenie right now.”

Newt was watching her through his fringe as he picked at his fingernails, waiting for her to continue.

“You can support each other, you know. You’re mourning her death too.” Newt scoffed and shook his head as he looked back out at the grounds. “Theseus isn’t the only one who lost someone.”

“I know that. He lost Leta, you and Jacob lost Queenie, Nagini lost Credence...” Newt swung one leg over the ledge so he could look at Tina face to face, his heels digging into the stone supports below him. “Tina, I’m going to do whatever I can to- to make sure you are all taken care of. I don’t know what, but-”

“Newt.” Tina interrupted him and took one step closer to where he was sitting. “You’re allowed to be upset about what happened to each of them, too, you know.”

“Not like you. I didn’t lose anyone as you did.”

Tina paused as she studied him. He truly thought that he had no right to mourn their losses. It occurred to her that he was fully prepared to put aside his own feelings in order to take care of the rest of them. She sighed as she took one more step closer to him and rested her hands on the ledge beside his leg.

“Did it ever occur to you that you were the only one there that knew all three of them?” Newt looked up at Tina in surprise as she continued, “You lost them too. All three of them. I’m assuming you knew some of those Aurors who died there too.” Newt nodded shallowly. “You’re allowed to be upset about it.” Tina picked absently at the stone with her fingernail as she watched him struggle with her words. “You don’t have to take care of us. We can all take care of each other now.”

Newt sighed. He was visibly uncomfortable now, but Tina didn’t back down. He had to know that there was truth to her words.

“I know.” He rolled his head forward and looked down at his hands again. “I’ve just never been very good at that...sharing burdens with other people.” He paused for a moment while he decided if he should express his next thought. “I have never- I’ve never really had other people to share _with_.”

Tina nodded as she processed his words, though she knew he couldn’t see her reaction so she chose her next words very carefully. “Well, how about you help me and I’ll help you. Is that a deal?” Newt glanced up to look at her through his fringe, dark, burning red in the growing darkness. His mouth quirked at the corner as he watched her for a few seconds.

“Alright. Sorted.”

Tina grinned softly as she brushed a windswept strand of hair off her face and behind her ear.

“Good.”

*****

It was on their way back to the staff common room that Newt asked Tina to stay at his flat. She was thankful for the darkness and the contrast that the lamplight provided as her cheeks flooded with color at his request. She quickly realized that, improper as it was, there was nowhere else that she would rather be until she had to leave London in a few days. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and simply said, “Absolutely.” She could see Newt grin and she couldn’t help but do the same. 

Their footsteps echoed off the stone walls as they turned a corner and found warm firelight streaming out of the door that had been left propped open to the hallway. As they entered, warmth reached their skin and the chill quickly left them as they tried to silently make their way across the room to join Jacob on an oversized couch.

Conversation rang all around them, but Jacob was nursing a large glass of whatever Theseus had been drinking and staring quietly into the fire. He looked thoughtful, but Tina couldn’t tell if he was listening to the conversation or lost in his thoughts. She never got the chance to find out because Theseus called them over to discuss their meeting with Dumbledore before they could reach him. Newt began to describe his interactions with the professor, though Tina could tell he was skipping parts here and there. Theseus seemed to notice the same, raising his eyebrows skeptically at points throughout his description, but he said nothing.

Soon, Nagini and Kama walked into the room followed by a weary Dumbledore. He dropped into a fluffy, red armchair and rested his elbows on his knees, his chin in his hands. He was silent for several moments as all eyes watched him, waiting. He took a deep breath as he rolled his shoulders and leaned back, one leg crossing gracefully over the other.

“I am thankful to each of you for the information you have given me tonight. I’m- I’m so sorry for everything that has happened. Truly, I am.” His voice sounded soft, almost unsure, as he addressed them. “This has become so complicated and I blame myself. Until this is destroyed, I am unable to fight him and that is entirely my own fault.” He twisted the blood pact in his fingers carefully, the firelight glinting off the crystal as it spun. “I trusted Gellert and I helped him, and for that, I will never be able to forgive myself. I will do what it takes to make this right. Whatever I can, I promise you that.” His light, twinkling eyes connected with Travers’. “I will work with the Ministry, but I ask that the Ministry also works with me. I have connected with a network that can help us contain his power, witches and wizards from around the world who are each powerful and trustworthy...and who want to help.” Travers said nothing, his jaw clenched, but Theseus nodded in acknowledgment of Dumbledore’s request.

“Let’s all get some sleep, think about things for a few days.” Theseus stood as he addressed Dumbledore, his eyes bloodshot and drooping. “There are many things to do before we can dive into fighting again. Grindelwald isn’t going anywhere for the foreseeable future. It’s too risky for him.” Several people around the room nodded in agreement as they slowly rose to their feet. Newt left Tina’s side to join his brother in shaking Dumbledore’s hand and exchanging a few final words before they departed. 

Nagini slowly made her way across the room to Tina, coming up next to her and watching the men exchange pleasantries. She stood quietly for several moments before she spoke timidly. “I’m going back to France.”

“Are you?” Tina turned to look at her, surprised, as she watched the girl processing her thoughts.

“I am. Kama and I are going back tomorrow. He will look for accommodations in Paris, work with the French Ministry. I’ll be staying with Nicolas and Perenelle. They said they would- they would help me look for my family. Help me search for anything that could tell me where I came from.” Nagini took a deep breath as she turned to watch the other people in the room. “I don’t even know my surname. I don’t remember.” Her voice was quiet, but there was a spark of something in her eyes that made Tina grin.

“I hope you find what you’re looking for. I’m so glad I met you.” Tina said sincerely as she watched the ghost of a smile cross Nagini’s face. “Will you please write to me and let me know how your search is going?”

“Absolutely.”

“Good.” Tina placed a comforting hand on the girl’s shoulder and, to her surprise, Nagini inched toward her and hugged her tightly.

“Thank you for everything,” Nagini whispered into Tina’s ear before pulling away. “Most people wouldn’t have been as kind as you were, as understanding. Thank you.”

Tina smiled at her, stepping away to look at her face properly. “Well, most people are saps,” she said with a chuckle. Nagini snorted softly as Kama came up behind her to wait at her side. “You take care of yourself, okay?” Tina said to her, caringly, “We will see each other again.”

“We will, yes.” With a final smile, Kama led Nagini away to join Theseus, who would be traveling to his flat by floo. Nagini waved to Tina one final time before disappearing through the doorway.

“Alright?” Newt asked as he and Jacob joined her. Tina smiled and nodded as she walked between the two men toward the Entrance Hall, back to the apparition point. No words were exchanged as they each tiredly sauntered across the bridge. Large torches lit their way through the darkness and the light from the majestic castle was reflected on the lake below them. It was colder now, and Tina pulled her leather coat closed and tied the belt tightly around her.

Up ahead, Travers reached the apparition point and, pulling his wand out, swirled out of sight without any sort of farewell. Spielman turned toward them and waved politely before he followed.

Tina felt the slight shimmer of magic as they passed through the protective wards and onto the outside. Newt turned to them and held out his arm. “We can apparate to a park near my flat, it will be empty at this time of night. It won’t be much of a walk from there. Tina stepped forward and wrapped her arm around Newt’s. She felt Jacob do the same on her other side. “Ready?” Newt asked.

“Yep,” Jacob answered, “Let’s go home.”

The corner of Newt’s mouth quirked up in a half-smile as he waved his wand and the three friends swirled out of sight.


	7. An Ocean of Memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise I have an excuse for being so flipping slow to update, but you're here for the story so I'll save it. :-) I hope you enjoy this 11,500-word monstrosity of a chapter. It's a doozy!
> 
> This is "that chapter" that I envisioned in my head for so long and finally got down in writing. I am so excited and I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Thank you to [@hidetheteaspoons ](https://hidetheteaspoons.tumblr.com/) for being the best beta/best buddy in the world!

Chapter 7: An Ocean of Memories

“Here you are, next to me, so much beauty at my feet,

All I wanna do is swim but the waves keep crashing in.

No, I'm not afraid to drown, take me out, take me down,

I'm so tired of the shore, let me in, baby, you're an ocean beautiful and blue.

I wanna swim in you.”

-Ocean (Lady A)

\----------------------------------

The wooden stairs creaked as Tina slowly climbed toward the main floor of the flat. Her muscles protested with every movement she made. After arriving in London, Tina had thrown herself into work, the physical labor kept her mind off of more pressing matters. As much as she wanted to forget that it would happen, she was leaving tomorrow. She would go back to New York, back to a cold, empty apartment where memories of her sister would greet her at every turn. She was dreading her departure and had done everything in her power to avoid thinking about the inevitable. 

Newt had tried to treat her as a guest, going along with his normal work while insisting that Tina and Jacob rested, but both had refused. Tina assumed that, after a while, Newt had understood that her insistence on hauling buckets of feed across the basement was not just for his benefit. He eventually began to ask her to help him with tasks, patiently giving her direction as she completed them. The work was invigorating and, as she climbed the final stair into Newt’s dark kitchen, she felt accomplished. She could see how Newt’s work appealed to him, she found peace in the repetitive work as she circled the basement and spent time with the creatures who were showing signs of curiosity whenever she came near.

Bunty had immediately taken a liking to Jacob, his wounded heart a perfect match to her caring nature. They had an easy camaraderie and were able to carry on a conversation for hours at a time. He had been following her around the basement as she worked, lending a hand whenever she would allow, and he had found several ways to make himself useful that did not require magic. Tina was glad that Jacob was finding comfort and companionship in his new home. He would have a long way to go until he could find employment, income, and purpose, but for now, he would be safe and protected, which was all any of them could ask for while sitting on the brink of war. 

Crossing into the living space, Tina sank onto the far side of the red couch. She pulled her wand from the pocket in her sleeve and waved it toward the fireplace where a soothing fire sprang to life in the hearth, mixing with the warm light of the single yellow lightbulb in the sconce above Newt’s bed. She set her wand on the table at her side and, after tugging at the stubborn laces, toed off her brown Oxfords and heard them fall to the ground with a satisfying __thunk__. 

Tina pulled her feet up onto the couch, tucking her legs to her side and leaning against the armrest. Her body was tense with the knowledge that in fourteen hours she would be stepping through an international Floo grate and spinning away from London toward an unknown future. She had pushed these thoughts away for too long now and it was time to face them head-on. She had an apartment that she could no longer sustain on her own. She had a job that may or may not be waiting for her upon her return. She had no friends or family left in her hometown now, and, to complicate things further, there was still the matter of Achilles and his willingness to wait for her return. 

He would have surely heard that she was coming back tomorrow, despite her inability to write him a proper letter in weeks. She felt foolish and guilty for dragging him into this situation. He didn’t deserve to be used as he had been, though using him had never been her intention. He had waited for months and Tina, now knowing what she knew after Paris… She had a lot of explaining to do, and she hoped that he wouldn’t be too angry or upset with her.

__We only went out a few times__, she told herself guiltily as she adjusted her body and sank further into the soft cushions. She had never __liked__ him, not like she was supposed to, anyway. He was what she was supposed to like, what she had envisioned in a partner for most of her life. He was traditionally handsome and friendly. He could make her laugh. She enjoyed his company but, try as she may, she had not been able to cross that line from friendship into something more. 

She had tried, willing herself time and time again to just get over whatever feelings she had harbored for Newt and get on with things, but she hadn’t been able to do that. Then, her chance to go to Paris had appeared and she had to go. She quickly stopped by his office on her way to the docks, her suitcase in hand, to tell him she would be on assignment for a while. She said goodbye and he said he would wait for her. She hadn’t tried to change his mind, even though her goodbye had felt more final to her. The end of a chapter in her life and the end of her brief relationship with Achilles. She should have tried to change his mind. __Why hadn’t she tried to change his mind?__

Tina’s stomach was in knots; her nerves were pushing her to exhaustion and, at the same time, made her feel like she needed to flee the imminent chaos that would surely meet her in New York tomorrow. She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths, willing her eyes to stay dry and not to shed the tears that had been threatening to spill over her lashes for most of the afternoon. She hugged a ragged, yellow pillow to her stomach as she concentrated on her breath. __In, out...in, out...in, out... __She closed her eyes and tried to find calm, though her mind continued to race. __In, out, in… __

Newt found Tina huddled on the couch with her feet tucked underneath her body, her eyes closed, and her hand clutched tightly around a throw pillow. He knew she had been having a hard time processing everything that had happened in the few days that she had been in London. He had been feeling the inner turmoil of loss and anger within himself as well, but with Tina before him, he had tried to give her the sense of purpose that she had been trying to find. Working in his basement had helped her immensely, though it had made the time together move more quickly than either of them had wanted. The two days together had passed and she would be leaving in the morning.

It felt as though his stomach was flipping over in his abdomen. He was suddenly nervous as he watched her, knowing that this was the last time they would have together. It was their last chance to be alone together and he had things that he needed to tell her. He had made her a promise back in Paris and he planned to fulfill that promise, though the thought of telling someone about what had happened all those years ago made him feel a sense of betrayal. He reminded himself that he could not betray Leta if she was dead, she had betrayed his friendship the moment he had given his future to save her. He owed her nothing, but old habits were hard to break.

He was tired of the secrets. He didn’t want Tina to ever doubt that his affections were anywhere other than with her. Never again. It was time to take the plunge and reveal everything, the things that he had never told another.

Stepping into the orange light of the fire, Newt softly spoke Tina’s name. Her eyes sprang open and she jerked her hand toward her wand out of habit. Their eyes connected and Newt found that his hands were facing her, palms out, in a sign of peace. He smiled at her crookedly as he whispered, “I didn’t try to sneak up on you, I promise.”

Tina chuckled and released her hold on the yellow pillow, setting it gently to the floor beside her. “I know. It’s fine.” She began playing with the locket that hung around her neck, rubbing the pad of her thumb over the metal latch. It was smooth after years of wear and she found comfort in the warmth that radiated from the silver pendant that rested in her hand. 

After a brief moment of hesitation, Newt shuffled to a cabinet in the kitchen and pulled down two glasses. Reaching onto a high shelf, his body stretched, he pulled a bottle of Ogden’s Firewhisky from the depths of the cabinet above the small stove. The glasses clinked together as he came back into the living room and set them on the side table beside the couch.

“What’s this?” Tina asked, eyeing the Firewhisky with surprise and, Newt assumed, a bit of relief at the sight of the alcohol.

He sighed, pouring the amber-colored liquid into a tumbler and passing it into her hand. “I promised you an explanation.” His eyes flickered up to meet her own for a brief moment before they escaped back to the glass in his hand. “About Leta...and Hogwarts. All of it, it’s all connected.” The neck of the bottle hit the lip of the glass with a tinkling sound as Newt finished pouring the liquid into his own tumbler. He replaced the stopper into the neck of the bottle and, carefully controlling his movements, sank purposefully onto the opposite end of the couch.

“You--,” Tina began, looking into the depths of her glass before taking in Newt’s profile, outlined by shadows in the firelight, “You don’t have to, you know. It’s not-- I mean, it’s your story to tell, and I have no expectations…”

“I know.” His voice was determined. He looked over at her, his glass clutched in his hand. “I want to. I need to tell you. You should know.” His body turned toward her, one leg bending onto the cushion so he could face her. “Besides, I know you’re curious. I can tell.”

Tina lifted the glass to her lips as she attempted to hide her embarrassed smile. She tasted the strong cinnamon-flavored liquid as warmth coated her mouth and throat, making its way to her chest as she swallowed. It was strong but, surprisingly, comforting. She liked it. “Okay,” Tina said simply, waiting for Newt to begin speaking. She felt as if she was about to see past the barriers he had kept up in front of everyone for years. If she was being honest with herself, she was a little excited to see who Newt was beyond the tightly wrapped exterior. She had seen glimpses of his true self coming out in small doses throughout their conversations and correspondence, but this was on another level entirely. He was about to tell her things that she doubted many people knew about him, if anyone did at all. Her stomach fluttered with the knowledge of his trust in her.

Taking a drink of the whiskey, Newt stared into the fire for a moment before he spoke again. “I don’t really know where to start, honestly.” His fingers tapped the side of his glass and he rolled his shoulders in an effort to displace the tension he held there. “I met Leta at the end of our second year in school. We were in the same year but in different houses. I knew who she was, of course, but I hadn’t spoken to her outside of our shared Defense of the Dark Arts classes before the day she ended up in my storage closet.”

Tina raised an eyebrow in question, which he noticed out of the corner of his eye. He smiled before continuing, “I had collected several creatures on the grounds, both magical and Muggle species, that needed looking after. I had found a little storage closet in a sparsely-used section of the castle where I could keep them safe.” He took a small drink, his eyes trained on the woven material of the couch cushion between them. “Nobody ever bothered me there. It had a window and easy access to the grounds. I spent two years coming and going and nobody ever said a word. I was able to rehabilitate dozens of injured creatures and release them into the wild again.

“Leta came running into the space the day before the Easter holidays. She had been running from a group of students after she had cursed a girl who had been making fun of her. She had escaped by sliding through the door, intending to hide.” Newt absently tapped a blunt fingernail against the side of his glass as he spoke, “She had no idea that I was there, but she was instantly curious about my small collection of creatures.” Newt began picking at the edging along the cushion, his glass of Firewhisky resting on his knee. He was fidgety as he spoke, something that Tina found endearing about him. It reminded her of their first days of friendship in New York as they still were learning about each other. It reminded her of the innocence of a new friendship, the way things were before distance and misunderstanding nearly ended everything. “I wasn’t sure what to do, honestly. I...uh,” he scoffed softly to himself, “I had never had a friend before, I wasn’t good with people. Leta kept coming back, though.”

Tina watched Newt, unmoving. He wasn’t looking at her, but he was still open to her, facing her from the other end of the couch. “I came back the next afternoon and she was sitting in the window, the injured raven I had been caring for at her side. From then on, she was always there.” Newt’s eyes connected with Tina’s, only for a moment, before his gaze returned to the cushion before him. “She had been just as lonely as I had been, though her surname had caused her problems that I had never had to face. I... I think she had needed someone and I was accepting of who she was. I didn’t care that she was a Lestrange or that her family was known for scandal and deceit. She wasn’t like them, or at least __I__ never thought so.”

“We were always together, we offered each other companionship and protection. She taught me to open up and share my thoughts, I taught her to care for creatures and focus on doing what she enjoyed.” The corner of Newt’s mouth rose in amusement, “She had a rebellious streak and she hated doing things that were expected of her. She was constantly getting into trouble for fighting or throwing curses when she got angry...which was often. I tended to get caught up in whatever happened with her and landed in detention dozens of times for whatever she had done. I didn’t really care, I would have just sat alone if I hadn’t been there with her. She began growing out of that around fourth year, thankfully.”

Newt took a long drink of the whiskey before looking at Tina. She remained sitting, listening intently, her dark eyes watching him in the firelight. “I don’t think either of us had ever met someone who understood who we were before we found each other. You know from my letters that- that my father was never around. Theseus was already working for the ministry by this point so he wasn’t either. I spent most of my childhood running around on my own, my mother was the only one in my family who mattered to me. Leta’s family was…” Newt’s shoulders rose and fell with a deep breath, “absolutely terrible. She never really talked about it when we were young, but I knew that her father didn’t care for her. He treated her terribly. Her stepmother considered her a burden and, from what I could gather from Leta’s tidbits of information about her, would have preferred if she stayed away at Hogwarts full-time.”

“That’s terrible,” Tina whispered, it was the first time she had made a sound since Newt started talking. He nodded in response. 

“It was. I think she was desperate for friendship because I was the only person who had ever shown her kindness.” Newt’s fingers continued to tap on the side of his glass absently, “though my version of kindness, in hindsight, was rather awkward and aloof.” Tina giggled softly and Newt smiled in response. “I’ve become slightly better at that kind of thing over the years, I think.”

“You have.”

Their eyes connected and Newt flashed a small smile at her before continuing. “I never really knew how bad her family was until we came back to school for our sixth year. She, er--” Newt’s fingers began to pick at the embroidery again. Tina could tell that this part of the story was more difficult for him to tell. “She came back with a huge diamond ring on her finger. Her father had found a suitable, pure-blood family and promised her to them. She was being traded as if she was no more than a business transaction.”

“Mercy Lewis…”

“She was terrified. Her husband-to-be was quite a bit older than we were and she knew what kind of a man he was. He had a terrible reputation and was __not __a kind person. She...she was to be married the summer after she graduated from Hogwarts.” Newt cleared his throat and took a drink of his Firewhisky, the amber liquid was nearing the bottom of his glass. He swirled it absently around the glass. “She tried to fight her father, to tell him she refused and she wouldn’t go through with it. He slapped her. Quite hard. She still had the bruise on her cheek when I found her on the train back to school.”

“Newt…” He looked up at her, his face hard as he spoke about the man that Tina could tell he hated as much as Leta had. 

“This was what turned our relationship into something that began to spiral out of control. Until this point, we had been best friends but there was a clear boundary put up between us. She was closed off and never shared more than she had to. I was always fine with that.” Color flooded his cheeks, dark with shadows in the firelight, “I fancied her for years, probably because she was the only girl who would look twice at me. It was always one-sided, and I think she knew, but she never said anything about it. I was too scared, so it was always this underlying feeling, buzzing below the surface. We never talked about it, and that worked for us.” He laughed suddenly, almost sarcastically, his head shaking as he pictured the memories in his mind. “Suddenly, she could use the feelings I had for her to her benefit. Leta decided that I was her way out. She wrote to her father, suggesting that her betrothal be transferred to __me__ instead. She didn’t tell me until she had already sent the letter. I...well, I think I took this action to mean more than it did. I saw her asking her father as a declaration of feelings for me, but... it was because she knew that I would never hurt her. She would be safe with me. It was no more than that.” 

Tina’s mind was buzzing. She knew that there had to have been something substantial in his past that kept him from talking about his friendship with Leta. Queenie had hinted at a lot of heartache in his past, but this was not the story she had expected to hear. Her heart felt heavy, both because he had once felt for someone else and because those feelings were exploited. 

“It was such a confusing situation for both of us. We were only sixteen and she was navigating an upcoming marriage. She was desperately trying to think of anything that would get her out of the situation. She kept bringing up running away with me, marrying me so she wouldn’t have to marry someone else. I think...I think I had more hope in her than I should have, I was attracted to her but she was attracted to the idea of me. I was convenient and she was desperate.”

“Oh, Newt. I’m so sorry.” Tina whispered, her voice full of emotion. He shrugged, his hand tight around his glass of Firewhisky as he raised the glass to his lips and finished his drink. He stood to refill his glass, the liquid splashing into the tumbler loud in the silence between them. 

“I was foolish,” he said in a quiet voice, “I was young and stupid, and I had no knowledge of the world beyond my friendship with Leta. I would have done anything for her. She was…”

“Your person.”

“She was then.” He said, lowering himself back onto the soft cushions. He pulled his bowtie from his collar and tossed it onto the cushion beside him. “Though there was so much that she never told me. It all came out in that final year together, or at least I thought it had until a few days ago.” Tina knew he was referring to what Leta had revealed to them while in her family’s tomb, the secret past she had quietly harbored while the guilt consumed her. She had so much weight on her shoulders, Tina couldn’t help feeling for her, even though she had broken Newt’s heart at some point.

“I know what I am telling you makes Leta sound like a terrible person. She really wasn’t. She was kind and funny; troubled, but a good friend for all those years. I saw the best in her, but I also experienced the worst in her.” Newt shook his head slightly as he continued, “She struggled to be more than what her family had raised her to be. Her father never taught her a single positive quality, it was all about status and pride with him.”

“What did her father say? About the letter?”

Newt chuckled, “He said ‘no.’ A very stern ‘no,’ in fact.” He watched Tina for a moment, the alcohol was seeping into his bloodstream and he had relaxed a bit. “I may have been a pure-blood wizard, but my family was not nearly influential enough for a Lestrange.”

“Are you? I didn’t know that,” Tina said in surprise. Pure-blood wizards were so rare nowadays, especially in the United States. She had always assumed that Newt would be half-blood like everyone else she knew.

“I...am,” Newt said, almost ashamedly. “My family doesn’t care too much about that. My mother doesn’t, anyway. My father does a bit, though... those opinions remain after years of living with __his __father, I think.” Newt leaned back against the corner of the couch, fully facing Tina now. “That is probably why Corvus’ ‘no’ was so absolute. We weren’t the kind of pure-blood family that he would find appropriate for his daughter, even a daughter that he didn’t care all that much about.” 

Tina’s brow furrowed in confusion. “But she was engaged to Theseus…”

“Yes,” Newt said simply. “I promise, I’m getting to that part. Like I said, it’s a long story.” He grinned up at her, his eyes soft behind the sheen of alcohol that had begun to relax him. 

“Our sixth year was overwhelming for both of us. The passing time brought her closer to a marriage that she didn’t want, it brought me closer to a future without her..which was a terrifying thought at the time.” Newt ran his fingers through the hair at the back of his head, tugging on the auburn curls absently. “She, uh, kissed me one night. It was... unexpected and I was shocked, to say the least. She was confused about everything that was happening and she told me that she wanted to love me. She didn’t want to go home at the end of term and I think she found comfort in whatever it was that we were doing.”

Tina lowered her gaze to the couch, to the abandoned, black bowtie on the cushion between them. She reached forward and grabbed it. She wasn’t sure why, but she needed something to keep her hands busy now that her drink was gone and the glass had been discarded on the side table behind her. The silk ran over her fingers, the cool fabric comforting as she listened to Newt talk. His voice was soft as he spoke, “It only happened once more after that. Just before we boarded the train at the end of the term. I didn’t hear from her again that summer, so I figured that she was angry or embarrassed. I wasn’t sure what was going on in her head at that point. We- well, we were both so confused by everything, but I missed her. We had never gone through summer and not written to each other regularly.”

Newt reached behind him and placed the empty tumbler on the table. Turning around, he pulled one of his legs up onto the couch, tucking it beneath his opposite knee. He leaned forward, his elbows resting on his thighs. Pickett, who had been sleeping in the upper pocket of his shirt, popped his head out to see what the sudden movement had been. The bowtruckle crawled out and onto Newt’s shoulder, turning to look at Tina across the couch. The small creature jumped onto the back of the couch, skittering along the fabric until he was right next to Tina. He squeaked adoringly at her as she watched him, then she lifted her arm so he could crawl onto the back of her hand. She smiled at the creature before lifting him to her shoulder, just as she had seen Newt do dozens of times.

As he watched Pickett sit on Tina’s shoulder, leaning into her wavy hair and playing with the dark strands, Newt felt something stir within him. She had let her hair dry without spells after her bath and she looked more like he remembered. Her hair fell into light waves that framed her face and accented her cheekbones. She was softer, warmer… familiar. Tina smiled at Pickett, lifting a single finger to gently caress a green leaf atop his head. She looked over at Newt and smiled at him, that smile that he had seen before, back in New York, when they first started tiptoeing around each other as they began to notice their feelings growing. He noticed that his bowtie was still in the hand that remained in her lap. 

“Was that when you stopped being friends?” Tina asked softly after a moment, clearly permitting him to continue.

“No, she...she showed up in July. At my home,” he said, “it was completely out of the blue and--” He trailed off.

“What happened?”

“Her father had beaten her. I...she was so scared. She didn’t know where else to go.”

Tina’s hand rose to her mouth in shock. “Oh my goodness…”

“She had, thankfully, turned seventeen in May, so she was able to use magic at home. She- she escaped and apparated to the muggle town nearest to our estate. It took her ages to find our property, I think she was wandering for the better part of a day.”

“How did she find you?”

“I found __her__, actually. I was down at the beach with my sketchbook and I saw her in the distance. I... couldn’t believe it, I honestly thought I had gone mad. It was Leta though, and she just ran to me, held on to me, and __cried__. I couldn’t get a word out of her, she was hysterical. I had never seen her act that way. I had no idea what had happened until I happened to bump the side of her ribcage with my forearm.” Newt’s face had furrowed in pain as he remembered the moment. “She...she yelped and pulled away. It was then that I saw how terrible she looked.”

Tina’s eyes had widened as she listened to Newt tell the story. Such horrors had, thankfully, never been her reality. She had heard of cases like that, as an Auror. Children were beaten by parents who had never wanted them. She knew that society’s expectations were a bit more extreme in Europe, but she had not expected Newt to tell her of such a traumatic past for Leta. The poor woman had been through so much.

“Her face was bruised and there were cuts everywhere on her body. I found out later that she had several broken ribs. She had been treated abysmally, and I...I __had__ to protect her. She begged me not to tell my parents. My father’s position at the ministry would have put him in a very difficult position, and she knew that he had never liked her father. Most people didn’t.”

“Oh, Morrigan…” Tina exhaled. “What did you do?”

“I took her to the only other person I trusted to take care of her.” Newt looked up through his fringe at Tina, connecting a large plot hole in his story. “I took her to Theseus.”

“Oh.”

Newt chuckled. “Yeah. That did not go as I had expected it to.”

“Did they…?” Tina was trying to form her question in a dignified way, but Newt picked up on her meaning immediately.

“Oh, no. Not then.” Newt shook his head. “Theseus was twenty-five, fresh out of the Auror academy. He was renting a little flat in London and hadn’t yet obtained his status of __war hero__, so he was still able to keep things quiet at that point.” Tina smiled at Newt’s drunken use of sarcasm. “We flooed into his apartment and waited until he got home that evening. He agreed to let her stay in his flat, he kept her safe for a few days. This allowed us to get her to Hogwarts where she could be safe. Headmaster Dippet allowed her to come back to the school early once he had found out what happened. She was able to travel there within the week.”

“What happened to Leta’s father?”

Newt scoffed and leaned back into the couch cushions. “Nothing. He was a very wealthy man with very deep connections. Nobody would touch him, not for a simple infraction such as keeping his daughter in line.” He looked angry as he stared into the fire in the hearth. His features did not look familiar in anger, Tina didn’t like the feeling it gave her. She realized she would do just about anything to return the smile to his face, to help him through these memories.

Taking a deep breath, Newt continued. He stared at the cushion between them as he recited the words that seemed practiced but, Tina assumed, had never been uttered to another person until now. 

“Theseus and Leta sparked quite a friendship while she stayed there that week. She was only seventeen at that point and still a student, so nothing happened,” Newt clarified. “I tried to travel back and forth as much as I could, but my parents started getting suspicious so she said to stay home until she could get to Hogwarts, then we could write like normal. It made sense to me, especially once the healing charms had taken hold and she was mostly back to normal.” His eyes connected with Tina’s briefly as he picked at a small rip in the cushion. “I had to protect Theseus as well. Things would not go well for him if it had been discovered that he was harboring an injured Leta Lestrange. I had to keep it quiet, even to my parents.”

“Eventually, she made it back to Hogwarts and moved into the Slytherin dormitories. She had free reign of the castle and she said it was the most freeing six weeks of her life up to that point.”

“That’s good, right?” Tina questioned. Newt looked far away again, more so now that the alcohol had seeped in. It took him several moments to respond.

“Yes. But, also, no. Leta lived a life of expectation and society fanfare. Her whole life was scheduled and planned. She had never done anything for herself and, when given the chance, chose the most…” Newt sighed and ran his fingers through his messy fringe, making it stick out more than it usually did. “She made a very...unwise choice for a pastime while she was alone there.”

Tina felt Pickett fidget on her shoulder and allowed him to scamper across her arm and back to the couch cushions. Her eyes never left Newt’s, which had remained focused on the cushion before him with the occasional flicker of green as he focused on her, most likely gauging her reaction. 

“While Leta was alone those few weeks before term, she took to walking in the Forbidden Forest. We had been in there several times, quite regularly in our last couple of years, in fact. We never went in alone, though, and we never removed a creature unless it was injured or in need of help.”

“Oh no…” “Leta came across a Jarvey in the forest. She smuggled it into the castle and kept it in her dormitory until the beginning of the school year. After that, she kept it in the small room where we used to meet when we were younger.” Newt huffed, “She was a great secret keeper and somehow kept it from me for several weeks.”

“Leta had spent hours training the Jarvey, teaching it to walk in a heel and speak on command. She was determined to show me what she had done, to thank me for helping her that summer.”

Tina’s brow furrowed in confusion. “But, that’s not something you would have wanted. You don’t like to control creatures.”

Newt looked up, the look on his face something akin to happiness or wonder at her words. “No. I don’t control them. I care for them, and there is a true difference between the two.” The corner of his mouth lifted for a moment, though the rest of his posture still showed his troubled feelings about the story he told. “I don’t think she knew me as well as she thought she did, in this case.”

“What happened?” Tina asked softly.

“One day, in early October, Leta told me at lunch to meet her during our free period outside of the little closet where she was keeping it. I...had no idea why. We hadn’t been there together in ages. When I got there…” Newt cleared his throat and took a deep breath. “When I arrived...she had a Jarvey at her side. Naturally, I was curious.” “Naturally,” Tina quipped, causing the corners of Newt’s mouth to lift into a small smile.

“Well, she told me everything. She was so proud, you see. Jarveys were supposed to be extremely difficult to train. It was...I was so upset that she had taken this creature and locked it in a closet for her amusement. I know...I __know__ she meant well, and that she didn’t mean to cause any harm, but I was upset and…” Newt trailed off.

“What?”

“I agitated it by being upset. I think it sensed that its surroundings were no longer calm. It fled.” Newt’s finger continued to absently play with the rip in the couch cushion, which Tina vowed to fix for him later that evening once he had gone to bed. “It ran into a classroom. It was chaos. I ran after it, trying to catch it before it caused any trouble, so I was right in the doorway when it happened.”

Tina sat up, the bow tie now lying forgotten in her lap. “When….when what happened?” she asked.

“The Jarvey attacked several students in that classroom. They all screamed and were casting spells trying to stun it, the poor creature was __terrified__. It all made it worse and everything spiraled out of control. Nobody was injured badly, but there were several gashes and a bite that had to be treated in the hospital wing. When they all looked back to see where the Jarvey came from, I was in the doorway.”

“Oh, Morrigan…Newt…”

“I told Leta-- whispered-- to run, and she did. Then I was hauled off to the headmaster’s office and Leta was able to get away. It wasn’t our first run-in with rule-breaking, we were quite familiar with detentions, and professors around the school knew us as troublemakers, but-- nobody had ever been hurt before. Not once. It was on a new level and-- and the headmaster was furious.”

“He sat me down and told me that what had happened was inexcusable. Especially due to my record, this was just the last straw. He wanted to know what had happened, the whole story.” Newt paused, his lips were pressed into a hard line and his eyes closed. “I lied. I told them the Jarvey was mine. I told them I was caring for it and it got away. It was such a quick decision, but I knew I had to protect Leta, and I was glad I did.” He looked up at Tina, watching her face as he delivered his next words. “The headmaster expelled me from the school on the spot. I was told to go pack my things and get ready to leave within the hour.”

Tina’s eyes felt misty, but she didn’t spill the tears that had appeared, unwanted. She bit her lip and continued to watch Newt, waiting for him to continue.

“I found Leta as soon as I left the headmaster’s office, she was hiding in an alcove, waiting for me. When I told her what happened she wanted to run up and tell the headmaster that it was all her fault, that she had actually kept the Jarvey, but I told her not to. I-- I raised my voice to her. I’ve regretted it ever since, honestly. I don’t think she had ever heard me speak like that. I told her to stay quiet and just go along with what was happening. I told her to go back to her dorm and pretend like she had never seen the Jarvey before.”

“Did she?” Tina asked in a whisper.

“She did.”

“But...__why__? Why would she let you take the blame for something that she did? Newt, that’s--”

“Because I knew what was waiting for her outside of the castle. I knew that I would go home and face my angry parents, but I would be safe. I would be okay. If she had been sent home she was facing abuse, a forced marriage, terrors I knew nothing of. It had to be me.” He shook his head as he turned toward the fire and leaned into the plush cushions beside her, shifting his body so that he was slightly closer. “It was the hardest thing I ever did. I knew what I was giving up, but there was no other way. I-- I just __couldn’t __let her go back to that life. Back to her father, or worse…”

“I packed my things into my trunk and hauled it back to the headmaster’s office. Leta caught me in the corridor before I got there. She was...so angry. She wanted to go and give herself up, and I kept trying to reason with her. This was the only way to keep her safe.” Newt paused for a beat. “She told me that she was not a damsel in distress, that she could take care of herself. She wanted to know why I had done it. The real reason.”

“Newt…” “I told her that she knew why. And she did, we both knew it. All she could say was that I was a stupid boy. That I could throw my life away if I wanted to.” Newt rolled his head to the side to look at Tina, “That’s when Dumbledore walked by. I’m pretty sure he overheard us talking because he immediately went up the stairs to the headmaster’s office and started trying to make a case for me. He had always been a favorite professor of mine, but we weren’t particularly close at that point. I couldn’t understand why until later on.” Newt grinned to himself, “Dumbledore has a way of...knowing things.”

Tina chuckled to herself softly at those words. One thing she had noticed about Dumbledore was that he __did __know things: things he shouldn’t, things nobody else knew. It was unnerving, but, it seemed, occasionally useful.

“My expulsion ended up being changed to an extended suspension.”

“Really?” Tina asked, surprised.

“Yeah, he fought for me, laid out a good case for me. I was able to keep my wand and, though I didn’t get to return to school, I was able to graduate.

“Did you? I didn’t know that,” Tina exclaimed. “How did you do that?”

“I left school in October, studied by correspondence most of the time, then spent the winter and part of the summer holidays meeting with him in Hogsmeade to practice the practical elements,” Newt explained. “I was able to sit my N.E.W.T.s and, though my scores were not as good as they probably could have been, they were good enough to place me into an entry-level position at the Ministry later that summer.”

Tina nodded, listening carefully as she began to absently stroke the soft fabric of Newt’s bowtie with her fingertips. “What happened to Leta?” she asked with trepidation.

“Leta...she was furious with me. She told me before I left that I was just another man who was controlling her life, making decisions for her without asking for input.” Newt shook his head as he looked down at his hands, his brow scrunched in long-standing confusion. “What I did may have begun as an impulsive move to try and keep her out of trouble, but once I saw where it was going and what the outcome was going to be, I knew I had to go through with it.” He looked up at Tina who had pulled her knees up to her chest, her stocking feet resting on the cushion between them. “I could have told them the truth, I could have cast her to the wolves, but then she would have gone back to that cold house and her father. She would have been married off a year earlier than she would have otherwise. I made a decision for her, yes...but I truly believed it was the right one. I still do. I-- I think she knew, too, but apologies did not come easily to Leta. She was stubborn and held grudges beyond the point of making sense.” Newt looked up into Tina’s eyes, the firelight reflected back at him. His stomach flipped as he looked at her, her gaze locked on his own. “I never thought I would be on the receiving end. It hurt. Quite a bit.”

“Especially after everything you had done for her,” Tina added. “You gave up a lot for her.”

“--And I’d do it again in a heartbeat,” Newt continued. “It was the right thing to do, even if it made things rather difficult for a few years.”

Tina thought for a moment, “Does Theseus know? About what you did?”

“Er, I don’t think she ever told him. At least not all of it. I prefer it that way, to be completely honest.”

“Why?” she asked in surprise.

“Him knowing what happened changes nothing about the past. What’s done is done. It was so long ago.”

Newt paused his story, readjusting his body so that he had slung an elbow over the back of the couch, and leaned against the cushions. Tina was very aware of his proximity, how it had shifted slightly closer as he spoke. She wasn’t sure if he was getting more comfortable around her or if it was the alcohol, but she reveled in the closeness. 

Newt cleared his throat before he spoke again. “I wrote to her several times in the months after I left school, but she never responded. I eventually understood that no reply meant that the friendship was over, and the bit of hope that I had held on to for months was extinguished. In June of the next year, she finished school, graduated, and then she was gone. Disappeared.”

“Gone? What do you mean?”

“She left Hogwarts and never went home. She must have run, probably overseas. She had talked about running away __so__ many times, but I never thought she would do it. I assumed that she was in Italy somewhere. She spoke passable Italian and probably could have lived there. I’m not sure where she went, I doubt she stayed in one place for very long in case her father was searching for her.”

“Did you try to find her?” Tina inquired softly.

“Err-- no. She didn’t want to be found. She was hiding from an unwanted marriage and a life of expectations and formality. I decided to let her go. She was free of every tie she had to Britain, and I thought that was why she had cut off our friendship.” Newt sighed deeply, his voice, unused to speaking so long, was beginning to sound huskier as he continued his story. “I enlisted with the British Army not long after finishing my studies anyway. The War was declared later in ‘14. They were using dragons on the Eastern Front and I--” Newt picked at his cuticles, his face downcast, “I had to enlist, make sure that they weren’t being mistreated. The pay from my ministry job was barely covering my basic needs, so the prospect of Army pay combined with dragon care looked quite inviting to me at eighteen years old.”

Tina had known that Newt had fought in the war, though she had pushed the thought to the back of her mind every time he had mentioned it. He had been out of school and he was a man, he would have been expected to go. It was hard to think of him there on the battlefields, in uniform, fighting... Tina knew better than most people that Newt could fight, she had seen him in action more than once, but she also knew that he hated confrontation. He was not afraid of it, but he hated it.

“I wrote to Leta once more, just before I took my portkey to my training camp. I told her that I had enlisted and sent her an address in case she ever wanted to write. I knew she wouldn’t, but I wanted to give it one more try. The owl didn’t return the letter, so I assumed she got it, but I never heard from her. I didn’t try again for several years.”

“Mercy, Newt. I’m sorry.”

Newt shrugged, looking up at her. “It was a very busy few years. I wished several times for someone to correspond with, but I got by. I was sent home in ‘17 with an injury and was discharged--”

Tina’s legs crossed in front of her as she leaned forward. “You were injured?” she whispered harshly, worriedly. 

Newt chuckled, “I was. Muggle bullet got me in the shoulder.” Tina’s hand was in front of her mouth, shock spreading across her features. “I’m __fine __now, I healed rather easily, all things considered. I was left with a scar and some achiness when it rains. No harm done.” Newt tried to flash Tina a reassuring smile, but he was worried that it came across as pained. It seemed to help the situation, though, because Tina seemed to relax just slightly. “I had dittany with me and was able to escape infection. I got lucky. It got me sent home, though, so it was back to the ministry. Thankfully,” Newt continued, “My experience with the Dragon Corps gave the experience I needed to get out of the entry-level job I was in and into the Beasts Division, which was far more interesting and allowed a bit more freedom.”

“I began traveling shortly after the war ended, once borders began to open again.” Newt scratched the back of his neck absently as he thought about his next words. “I started with small trips throughout Europe, usually funded by the ministry. There were often beasts cases that required someone to relocate for up to a month at a time and I often jumped at the opportunity. I was also the only employee in our office who was without a family, so it made sense.”

“What were the cases?” Tina asked curiously.

“Mostly beast relocation, a few instances of identification for various ministries, things like that.” Newt smiled at Tina, “A few times I had to help clean up after the Auror department discovered non-native beasts that had been smuggled into the country. I was usually the one to help the creature, nurse it back to health, then release it back into the wild.”

“You worked with the Aurors?” Tina asked with amusement. Her dark brow was raised in a look of false surprise.

“I did, yes. Unfortunately, that is why I have… err, had, my harsh opinions of Aurors. I saw too much thoughtless, unnecessary killing. Every time, I would try to save the creature but there was not much I could do against a killing order. My position, though promotions had pushed my clearance and status in the ministry higher, would never match that of an Auror, and they knew that.” Newt shook his head, willing himself not to get angry at the memories. “It wasn’t until Theseus got his Head Auror position that he began to stop the orders, at least when I was around. By then, I despised Aurors and what they stood for. Until I met you, anyway.”

“I’m so sorry Newt. That is awful.”

“It was, but it taught me that what I wanted to do was nurture. I had been commissioned by Mr. Worme just after the war ended, but for years we played with the idea of field journals. He thought a narrative of my travels for the Ministry would be entertaining to read, but I wanted to educate.” Newt ran his fingers through the curls at the nape of his neck. “I wanted the thoughtless killing of creatures to end. The idea of my book, as it is now, began to take shape, and once I explained it to him, he liked the idea.”

Tina watched Newt, enraptured by his story. She had never heard him speak so much at once. He was opening up and she felt privileged to see him in this element. “When did you start traveling outside of Europe?”

“More recently,” Newt said, leaning his head against his hand, his arm resting over the back of the couch, “I began working on more local entries for the book during my travels early on, and then Mr. Worme began sponsoring longer journeys abroad during the summers a few years later.” The corners of his mouth rose as he gazed past Tina toward the darkened corner of the room. “I finally left for my year-long trip around the world in January of last year. It was…”

Tina grinned, “Amazing?”

“Yes. Amazing. Wonderful...but lonely, er, I think. At least until I got to New York.” Newt watched as Tina’s eyes softened, “I saw so much and found new creatures, many of which I never knew existed. I met people from so many cultures and learned things that I would have never had the opportunity to learn. It __was__ amazing. I quickly realized that I had nobody to share it with, though. I-- I think that was the hardest part of all of it, and probably when I started noticing how alone I had been since Leta and I had rowed.” 

Newt shifted slightly to look at her. His eyes, misted over by the heavy combination of alcohol and released memories, met her own. His gaze was solid, far more than it usually was. Tina watched him watching her, she felt drawn into his stories, his world, his being. Her breath caught slightly as he began speaking again, now in a lower tone. His voice, the rounded vowels and clipped cadence, worked together to draw her in more. “I know Queenie probably told you that she saw that picture of Leta in my case.” Tina cast her eyes down to the couch, feeling slightly guilty for allowing Queenie to divulge his thoughts and memories. 

“Tina, it’s okay, really.” he tentatively reached out his free hand and touched the hand that was still clutching his now crumpled, silk bow tie. Laying one finger on the back of her hand, he heard her gasp slightly as her eyes snapped back up to meet his own. His hand didn’t linger, he pulled it back toward his lap as quickly as he had acted on his impulse to touch her. “It’s fine, Tina. It’s just that-” Newt pursed his lips as he searched his mind for the right words, “Queenie couldn’t have read the whole story. I know she didn’t, because if she could have you never-- you never would have thought for a moment that I was engaged to Leta.”

Tina felt like the air had been sucked from her lungs. “Newt…”

“I mean, so much had just happened at that point. My mind was already reeling and then, all of the chaos in New York happened, and, well, I had a bit on my mind.” Newt sat up on the couch and crossed one leg under his other, turning to fully look at Tina. “I had come through Africa and had originally planned to travel home to London, to spend the holidays with my mother for the first time in a while. Then I was going to go on to South America from there. However, Dumbledore alerted me to a smuggling ring in Egypt, there was a group that had various magical beasts chained up in their compound somewhere in the Western Desert region. I was able to apparate there with a few activists and off-duty Aurors out of Cairo. We raided the compound and were able to apprehend all but three men.”

Tina’s mouth gaped, her mind running through all of the ways he could have been hurt or killed, not just in this instance but in all of them he had encountered on his travels. She realized how lucky he actually was to be sitting here right now.

“What happened?” Tina asked, nearly in a whisper.

“I assessed the creatures, many of which were local, and released them to the proper authorities. Two creatures had to be taken back to Asia, the Nundu they had was so malnourished and sick by the time we found him that I wasn’t sure if he’d make it.”

“Did he?”

Newt smiled. “Yes. You’ve met him.”

“Wait... The one in your basement?”

“Yeah,” Newt said with a small grin. “He has improved greatly since then. He’s currently waiting for me to be able to travel once again so I can take him home.”

“Wow. And you also picked up Frank there, didn’t you?”

Newt sighed. “I did, yes. I knew that taking him would mean that I would have to divert my travels to America, but...I had to help him. I kept him in my case, got him back up to a proper weight, and helped him learn to socialize a bit.”

“He was magnificent.”

“He truly was. I had planned to continue my travels through Africa, I spent another ten weeks there, mostly in Sudan-”

“With--” Tina started, unthinking. She gasped, realizing what topic she had brought up.

“With the Obscurial, yes. Her name was Aziza. Her name...it meant ‘power,’ and she lived up to it, not just because of her obscurus. She-- she was determined, once I found her and she realized that the powers inside of her were not evil as she had been taught. She was so determined to live, to reclaim life.” Newt shook his head morosely. “She was __strong__, but her tiny body wasn’t powerful enough to escape what was inside of her.”

Tina felt tears welling up in her eyes. Watching her companion, she saw the sadness that crossed his green eyes as he remembered, the pain of loss after learning to care about someone, after trying so hard to protect them from themselves. She knew that feeling, she knew it well, and had lived it with Credence. How unfair it was that the obscurus had led both of them to despair. Death or living for evil, Tina and Newt mourned their losses, constantly wondering if there was more that could have been done to save them. She reached out, as Newt had done moments before, and rested her hand lightly on top of his.

“I’m sorry.” Tina’s voice caught as she watched Newt. His eyes slowly swung from the slowly dying fire to their hands, Tina’s resting softly on top of his own. She shifted her grip just slightly and Newt smiled to himself as he turned his hand and their palms met, his fingers curling lightly around her own. His hand was warm, soft, and work-worn, encasing Tina’s own perfectly. Her stomach leaped as she watched first their joined hands and then his face as he glanced up at her with a hesitant smile. 

“Thank you, Tina,” Newt said quietly, his voice near a whisper. They sat close together now, their joined hands between them on the cushion of Newt’s faded, red couch. Tina felt her cheeks grow warm, whether from nerves or excitement, she wasn’t sure. She bit her bottom lip lightly as she managed to hold back a nervous, beaming smile. She felt like a school girl holding a boy’s hand for the first time, though, in her case, she thought, it wasn’t far from the truth.

Newt interrupted her racing mind as he quietly continued his story. “So, I, uh...I was already in a bit of a bad place when I got the news about Leta. I found out about a week after Aziza passed. Leta’s father, he...died. He had been having problems with his heart for years, had been in and out of St. Mungos several times. I guess it must have finally ended him.” Tina noticed that, despite his light grip around her hand, there was no lightness or sadness in his voice when he spoke of Corvus Lestrange’s death.

“I hadn’t spoken to Leta in years but I wrote her another letter. It was last November, just as I left Sudan and traveled south through Congo. I never thought for a moment that I would hear from her. I just… I wrote to give her my condolences and to wish her well.” Newt paused, his eyes watching their hands as Tina began to slowly move her thumb back and forth along the heel of his hand. “About two weeks later I received a letter from an international post owl. I honestly thought it would be from Theseus, I had been expecting a letter from him, but it wasn’t. It was from her.” Newt tilted his head to the side and rested it against the balled fist that still rested on the back of the couch. “She wrote and told me that she was back in England. She was living openly for the first time in years and, now that her father was gone, she was able to rejoin society. She…” Newt chewed on his lip for a moment before taking a deep breath. “She was thankful for Theseus’ __steady correspondence__ over the years, he had kept her abreast of all the happenings in Britain and at the MInistry.”

“Oh no…” Tina whispered.

Newt chuckled sarcastically, a low sound deep in his chest. “She concluded the letter with a postscript. She let me know that she was courting my brother and hoped she would be seeing me soon.”

There was a moment of silence. Tina’s jaw was slack as she surveyed Newt, her mind racing as she tried to figure out what to say in response.

“I met you four days later.”

“Oh…”

One corner of Newt’s mouth raised in a half-smile. “So, you see, I don’t think Queenie caught my mind on a good day. After thirteen years of silence, my mind was...well, still reeling a bit after that letter. Especially after she found the picture in my case. It caught me off my guard, I know she saw things...thoughts that probably looked…”

“Felt.”

“Excuse me?” Newt looked at her with puzzlement.

Tina smiled at him slightly as she continued to slowly drag the pad of her thumb across the callused heel of Newt’s hand. “She felt things. With you, I mean. She couldn’t read your thoughts the same way she can read mine. She said she struggled with accents, and that was true, but with you...your mind moved so quickly.”

Newt seemed slightly embarrassed at this revelation. “Oh, I see...”

“Between our different speech patterns and the speed of the thoughts running through your mind, she couldn’t keep up. She said that you...you felt very deeply, though. Your emotions were very strong, and she…”

Newt chuckled softly, “She could read me more easily because I was hurting.”

Tina looked pensive as she thought back to those days when they had first met nine months before. “It was more that Leta’s name was constantly running through your mind. That’s why I thought…” Tina trailed off, her eyes now downcast as she thought back to the end of their correspondence, her anger and hurt, the feeling of betrayal and rage as she mourned the relationship that may or may not have been there. 

She heard Newt sigh deeply in frustration as all the pieces finally connected in his mind. His hand tightened slightly around her own. “Oh Merlin, we are so bad at this.” They both laughed at the awkwardness and understanding that had been revealed between them. Their eyes met and both found that the other was blushing. “I meant what I said,” Newt remarked.

“Hmm?”

“In Paris. About trying this...us...again. I--” Newt cleared his throat nervously as he tried to sound in control. His voice was betraying him as he stammered over the words. He pushed his nerves back in his mind and forged ahead. “I got back to England and found my brother engaged to my childhood best friend. I was hurt. It had __nothing__ to do with Leta or whatever we had shared in the past. It was because-- because they had kept it from me. I had given up so much for her and then she disappeared but, all the while, she and Theseus were in a decade-long correspondence that neither had ever told me about.” Newt’s eyes were trained straight down as the words tumbled from his lips, “I felt betrayed by both of them, and angry that I came back to England after a year away and they are both there, wanting to have dinner and spend time together like nothing had ever happened.” Newt paused, his lips pursed as he considered his next words. “I know they never __meant__ to hurt me, but... it was awkward and a bit maddening. The only thing that kept me from taking off and leaving England again was that-- that I received a letter from you every few days.” Newt’s voice lowered as he finished, his nerves sending his stomach flipping as he forced the words out into the open.

“...and a travel ban,” Tina quipped. She smiled, her mind and body humming with nerves and excitement as she chuckled to herself. Newt looked up at her and laughed softly.

“Yes. That, too.”

Tine felt the weight of Newt’s admission as her emotions sprang from glee to guilt and back again. “Your letters were wonderful, Newt.” Tina looked up, meeting Newt’s gaze as he lifted his eyes at the same time.

“Were they?”

“Yes.”

Newt seemed surprised at these words, but a grin flashed across his face. “Oh, yes. Good. I mean…”

“I’m so sorry, Newt.”

The grin faded from Newt’s face as a look of confusion took its place. “Whatever for?”

“I should have asked you about the article. I treated you horribly and made stupid mistakes, and this whole thing is completely balled up now and it’s all my fault.” The tears that Tina had been trying to suppress all evening long made their appearance as she swiped at them quickly, trying not to let them fall in front of Newt. “I ruined our letter writing, which was the best part of my week, I ruined my relationship with Queenie, I probably lost my job. I just…”

“Tina. Here, I…” With a hesitant look on his face, Newt leaned forward, the arm that had been resting on the back of the couch wrapped around her shoulder, his palm resting lightly on her upper back. With a sound somewhere between a sob and a laugh, Tina dropped the wrinkled bow tie and snaked her hand around Newt’s waist as her body moved closer to his. It had been so long since she had been touched, hugged by another person. Her other hand released Newt’s and joined her other, the rough texture of his braces was under her fingertips as they found purchase on his back. She felt Newt slowly let go of his stiffness and melt into the embrace, his recently freed hand making its way to Tina’s lower back, his warmth enveloping her.

After a few moments, Newt whispered, his voice close to her ear, his breath warm on her neck. “You didn’t ruin anything. Tina, you’re... you’re a wonderful person, and you are a good sister.” Tina tightened her grip on Newt just slightly, feeling his solid presence surrounding her was calming and thrilling at the same time. “We’ll get her back, Tina, I promise.” The words were strong, a promise made that Newt could not ensure would be fulfilled, but she felt the real promise within. “Things will work out, you’ll see. You aren’t alone, you know that, don’t you?”

Tina smiled into Newt’s shoulder as she inhaled deeply, the scent of hay and sweat tinged with alcohol filled her lungs. “Yeah, I know.” Sighing into the embrace, Tina knew that hugging any longer would be straying into a place beyond friendship. He felt wonderful, safe, but she didn’t know where they stood. __Were they there? Did he want to be? Was this the right time, after so much had happened? __Tina felt him chuckle lightly beneath her cheek and she pulled away slightly to look at him, curious. “What is it?”

“It’s just that...I think I have hugged more in the past four days than I have in the past several years combined,” Newt said as he pulled away a bit further so he could see her face.

Biting her lip, Tina tilted her head slightly as she looked at him. He was so close, his warmth and earthy scent still surrounded her. “You should do it more often, you know. You’re good at it.” She grinned as color flooded Newt’s face, his wide smile self-conscious, but happy.

Several moments passed before Newt leaned back slightly, his hands trailing down her arms and away as they parted, though Tina was acutely aware of their knees touching where they met on the couch cushion between them. 

“Thank you for telling me all of that. I...I know that some of that wasn’t easy.” Newt looked at Tina from under light lashes, the dim light from the dying fire highlighting his cheekbones and casting half of his face in shadow. “You’ve been through so much.”

“It all led me to travel, new creatures, and good friends. I figure,” he said quietly, “we have more than enough to worry about in the future, I don’t want to worry about the past anymore.”

Shaking her head, Tina smiled involuntarily. “You are pretty incredible, Newt Scamander. You know that?” She looked at his grinning profile before she lowered her voice, “I’ll miss you while I’m gone.”

Green eyes met brown as Newt’s smile faded slightly. “I’ll miss you too. Just for a little while though.”

“Yes,” Tina said with finality, “just for a little while. I’ll be back, and I’ll write as often as I can.”

“I know, me too,” Newt replied as he forced a tight-lipped smile and processed the thought of her leaving his side once again. Would they never get the chance to build their friendship in person? To let it grow the way it was meant to? “I’ll be here. We will see each other again soon.”

She knew she wouldn’t rest until she was back where she belonged. Back in Europe where her sister was, somewhere, hopefully safe. Back with her new-found family in London. The belief that they would be together again soon was the light at the end of the very dark tunnel she found herself in. 

“Yes,” Tina said, her eyes brimming with tears once more. “Soon.” 

**Author's Note:**

> OK, there it is! What did you think? I live for those comments and kudos!
> 
> Spotify playlist: [More Than Enough ](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0OA0JWt2KLzAPHIANRAPom?si=qKfKt3uSTO2zch7GR4d60Q)
> 
> Find me on Tumblr if that is your thing! [@themysteriousphoenix ](https://themysteriousphoenix.tumblr.com/)


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